Digital Waste Tracking: Taking Control of Waste and Resources
From 1 October, significant changes to UK legislation are affecting how waste movements are handled.
As the aim of making waste movements more traceable becomes increasingly important, regulatory requirements are becoming more structured, while the costs and consequences of transporting and disposing of material continue to put pressure on industries across the UK, particularly waste management and recycling.
The introduction of Digital Waste Tracking is a step towards a more sustainable and transparent waste-management system, with improved traceability also helping to prevent waste crime*. The objective is to record detailed information about the nature of waste, where it came from and how it will be managed. As a result, understanding what material is leaving a job site is becoming increasingly important — as is understanding the implications of greater traceability and looking beyond the immediate task of removing material to consider whether everything being moved off site actually needs to enter the waste stream.
This is particularly relevant when dealing with excavated soil, aggregates and mixed construction materials. A stockpile may contain materials with very different values and potential uses, yet transporting everything as one stream can mean paying to move and manage material that could potentially have been recovered. In this changing regulatory landscape, the ability to recover suitable material before it becomes a waste movement is becoming increasingly valuable.
More traceability means greater pressure to manage material properly
Digital Waste Tracking is already in effect, making waste traceability part of the day-to-day reality for businesses handling construction and demolition materials. For contractors, this means greater attention to how waste is handled, identified, documented and recorded throughout its journey.
Once material leaves the job site and enters the waste stream, its route back into productive use can become considerably more involved, with classification, testing and the appropriate regulatory requirements needing to be addressed before it can be reused.
This makes the point of intervention particularly important. Where suitable material can be identified and separated while it is still on site, there is an opportunity to recover its value before it becomes part of a wider waste-management process. Rather than transporting an entire stockpile away and determining its potential later, contractors can take greater control of what they have at the point where it is first excavated.
The administrative and financial costs of managing material are becoming increasingly difficult to overlook. Creating structured, up-to-date information about each load will inevitably change the way businesses approach waste management, encouraging those responsible for making operational decisions to look more closely at what is being moved and why. Where material ultimately goes to landfill, the financial impact can be significant: the standard rate of Landfill Tax in England and Northern Ireland is now £130.75 per tonne, with a lower rate of £8.65 per tonne applying to qualifying materials**.
Screening at source: a simpler way to manage material
A screening bucket allows contractors to deal with material at the point of excavation, before it becomes another waste movement.
By screening material on site, suitable fractions can be separated before the rest is transported away. This can reduce unnecessary haulage, simplify material handling and help contractors keep better control of what leaves the site.
The result is simple: less material to move, less to manage and more opportunity to recover value from what is already on site.
Why screening at source makes commercial sense
01 — Reduce unnecessary waste movements
Screen material where it is excavated and reduce the amount that needs to be transported away.
02 — Reduce transport and disposal costs
Recover material before paying to move and dispose of it.
03 — Reuse material on the same project
Turn suitable excavated material into a resource you can use where you need it.
04 — Take control of mixed material
Separate a mixed stockpile into manageable fractions instead of treating everything as waste.
05 — Simplify the way you work
One carrier, one attachment and one operation can replace unnecessary material movements and additional screening equipment.
A screening bucket is an investment in how you manage material
As waste management becomes more structured and traceable, making informed decisions about material before it leaves a job site as waste can have a significant impact on the chain of operations and costs associated with disposal.
A screening bucket helps separate material that can potentially be recovered and reused before it enters the wider waste-management process. This can reduce unnecessary movements and give contractors greater control over how material is handled, transported and managed. As environmental regulations continue to evolve, improving resource efficiency and reducing unnecessary waste movements can also support wider sustainability objectives.
Why is Gyru-Star the right solution?
A good question to ask before investing in a screening bucket. Read our article on True Screening®, discover what makes Gyru-Star different, and find your nearest dealer to take the next step.
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