Material Use

Specifying efficient use of materials and considering their impact from manufacture to disposal.

Minimising waste

Construction and demolition produce large amounts of waste.

On this page:

The construction industry contributes large amounts of waste from construction and demolition. Estimates are that up to 50% of all waste generated in New Zealand may be from construction and demolition, with around 20% of that waste going to landfills and the rest going to cleanfill.

Construction waste is made up of a wide range of materials, much of which can be reused or recycled. A significant reduction in the amount of construction waste that is thrown away can have positive environmental, economic and social impacts.

Costs of construction wastes

Environmental costs from waste disposal include:

  • limited reuse of landfill sites due to potential health hazards
  • energy required in transportation
  • pollution to land, air and water from heavy metals and toxic chemicals
  • greenhouse gas emissions
  • depletion of unsustainable resources.

Economic costs from waste disposal include:

  • cost of operating and maintaining landfill sites
  • cost of transporting waste to landfills
  • loss of financial benefit from using recycled or salvaged materials.

Social costs from waste disposal include:

  • noise, dust and traffic pollution to the community
  • effects of hazardous or nuisance waste to workers on a building site and to the community.

Statutory requirements

The Building Act 2004 contains sustainability principles that the Department of Building and Housing (DBH) and building consent authorities (BCAs) must take account of under the Act. These include:

  • the efficient and sustainable use of materials
  • the reduction of waste during the construction process.

The Waste Management Act 2008 was introduced to encourage waste minimisation and reduce waste disposal by applying a levy on all waste sent to landfills. The levy aims to encourage people to think about how they dispose of materials, and provide an incentive to avoid waste as well as provide funding to help develop waste minimisation projects.