Articles | Sustainability

New Thinking Proves More Can Be Done To Reduce Construction Waste

Monday, 21 November 2022
By John Jamison

More than ever before, we know traditional linear manufacturing models of making a product and selling it to a user who uses then disposes of it are not sustainable in a world with finite resources.

Within the construction sector there’s a growing movement to transition to more circular models of use to reduce waste. While it seems obvious, it’s one that the sector doesn’t have a great track record in putting in practice.   

In 2018, a survey from AUT’s Centre for the Built Environment revealed $30,000 worth of new construction materials ended up in the bin during the construction of a typical house. This is alarming from both an environmental and economic perspective, when we’re also facing material supply issues coupled with the rising costs of building. 

Around this same time, Winstone Wallboards carried out a feasibility study with industry partners to see if it was possible to reduce the amount of plasterboard and timber waste produced in the construction of buildings by 30%. The conclusion was that, yes, this was possible - but that a number of barriers were in place such as the lack of data around how much material is wasted, and how much could be saved. 

Armed with this knowledge, Winstone Wallboards created a study called Skip the Skips, through which we monitored waste generated through a typical project. We are now about to enter a second exciting phase of the exercise, where the same project teams work towards reducing the amount of waste produced in a similar project environment.

More than just reducing waste, we need to think about how waste can be given a second life. In this regard we’ve made great gains in reusing the core element of our GIB® plasterboard, gypsum.

As gypsum contains calcium and sulphur, both high in demand within the agricultural sector, it can be given a second life through repurposing it into soil conditioners. We began this in the Auckland region in 2020 in partnership with waste recycling company Green Gorilla, and have now expanded the service with more partners across the Waikato, Nelson, Christchurch and Central Otago regions and we want to add more partners. For more information see GIB® Plasterboard Offcut Recycling Services.

Ultimately, construction by-product of plasterboard should be able to be processed and re-manufactured into new plasterboard. We’re well on our way to helping the sector work more efficiently by repurposing and reusing waste construction plasterboard, and shortly will be able to recycle this by-product into brand new products and working in a more circular way.

With the completion of our facility in Tauriko, Winstone Wallboards will have a waste recycling facility that enables GIB® plasterboard to include initially up to 10% recycled gypsum, with the expectation that this will grow over time.

Visit gib.co.nz/sustainability.co.nz for more sustainability information including GIB® Plasterboard Waste Minimisation Resources.