cutting the cost of waste railways: waste less and … leaflet _ final...procurement good practice...

Procurement good practice for railway infrastructure construction and maintenance

Railways: Waste less and save money

IntroductionBuying less and throwing less away in the rail sector can help to:

1. save money by reducing and optimising costs – through timelypurchasing, lower waste management costs and planned recoveryand reuse;

2. reduce carbon emissions – helping to address regulator orauthority targets;

3. respond to demands of corporate stakeholders, such as IntegratedTransport Authority members or the Office of Rail Regulation;

4. link the management of the rail infrastructure with other local orcorporate policies, like waste or sustainability policies, todemonstrate integrated action; and

5. respond to drivers from UK government.

WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) provides a range ofguidance, tools and templates to help the rail sector take action andrealise the cost and environmental benefits of diverting waste fromlandfill.

In particular, WRAP guidance and model wording enable railauthorities and their contractors to measure and improveperformance through their procurement and contract processes. Guidance is freely available atwww.wrap.org.uk/procurementrequirements

In addition, the Designing out Waste Tool for Civil Engineering, theguide to Designing out Waste in Civil Engineering and the Net WasteTool help project teams to focus their effort when reducing waste andreusing or recovering materials.

Cutting the cost of waste

Who should read this leaflet?■ executives of organisations that

own and/or manage railway tracks,stations and other infrastructure;

■ representatives of PassengerTransport Executive memberauthorities;

■ economic and engineeringspecialists of the rail regulator;

■ engineers managing railway tracks,stations and other infrastructure;

■ technical and professionalmanagers with an interest in thereuse of assets and recovery ofmaterials; and

■ engineering contractors andconsultants.

How to make a difference■ set corporate policies and targets –

think about signing up to theHalving Waste to LandfillCommitment;

■ embed performance requirementsin procurement processes, projectbriefs, contracts and whole lifeasset management plans;

■ use WRAP tools or others toidentify waste reduction andrecovery opportunities, and includethese in your Site WasteManagement Plan from an earlydesign stage;

■ require contractors to drive out thewaste generated by their supplychains; and

■ measure performance on projectsand record achievements.

Halving Waste to Landfill


The case for less wasteSending less waste to landfill and reusingmaterials makes commercial sense.Materials are a valuable commodity andwaste disposal is becoming ever more costlyas Landfill Tax rises. Civil engineering andinfrastructure projects offer manyopportunities to reduce waste, which canlower the overall costs of projects.

An estimated 20-25 million tonnes ofconstruction, demolition and excavationwaste end up in landfill each year without anyform of recovery and reuse, and about half ofthis is excavation waste; all taking up room ininert landfills where capacity is expected torun out by 2020.

Landfill Tax is currently £48 per tonne fornon-inert construction wastes, rising to £72per tonne by 2013, and £2.50 per tonne forinert materials which can be readily recycled.Recycled aggregates avoid £2 per tonne ofAggregates Levy. Hence, diverting 1 tonne ofmaterial from landfill and reusing it insteadof primary aggregate saves £4.50.

Senior management need to provide directionto their supply chains by setting wastereduction and recovery targets in their policydocuments and strategic managementprocesses. Once strategy and targets havebeen set, the way is clear for managers,engineers and consultants to takeappropriate actions – avoiding the need toseek additional or time-consumingpermissions.

Project managers should ask for wastereduction, reuse and recovery to minimiseconstruction spend. Design managers shouldwork with design teams to create realisticmaterial demands with lower estimatingcontingencies. This can be especiallyimportant on major projects where a ‘fasttrack’ approach is needed – as this canexacerbate a tendency to over order.

Maintenance managers should take action onwaste to maximise the value achieved fromtheir budgets while integrating sustainability.By ensuring that materials and assetspurchased have clear and agreed provenanceand quality, it is easier to permit reuse.

What can be achieved?Network Rail avoided £200,000 in costs by reusing 20,000 m3

of redundant ballast. The material was moved to the newlocation by rail and 8,000 lorry movements were avoided –saving an estimated 175 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

To deliver its Corporate Sustainability Policy, Network Railhas set targets for waste diversion and use of sustainablematerials by 2014:

■ to divert 95% of waste track materials from landfill;

■ to divert 60% of station, offices and depot waste fromlandfill; and

■ to ensure that 25% of allocated spend goes on sustainablematerials by 2014.

The Office of Rail Regulation has identified that betterplacement of ballast when re-profiling track could reducedemand for stone by 10%, and result in annual savings of£0.5 million.

Skanska is erecting base stations for mobile communicationsadjacent to the railway. Traditional concrete bases werereplaced with materials-efficient 'micro-piles' or a 'modular'solution. So far, the designs have avoided the use of 7,200 m3

of concrete and diverted 8,400 m3 of excavated material fromlandfill.

1. reduce costs by:■ buying less in, reusing more, and throwing less away;

■ making savings on the staff time, storage, and vehiclefuel wasted in managing excess materials;

■ avoiding the rising costs of Landfill Tax and theAggregates Levy;

■ maximising the value of in-situ materials, such ascleaning ballast, making hydraulically bound mixtures orusing geosynthetics; and

■ introducing incentives for waste reduction, reuse, andrecovery.


Reduce waste and reduce carbonLike many other industries, the measurement and control of carbonhas a significant influence across the transport sector. The NationalApproach to Transport Appraisal (NATA) requires that assessment ofall transport schemes includes consideration of CO2. Support for railschemes under the Regional Funding Allocation will need to takeaccount of these impacts.

Passengers and freight customers expect the rail sector to live up toits role as a sustainable mode of transport. Quick wins to cutemissions by waste avoidance and landfill diversion will enhancereductions made through addressing rolling stock energyconsumption.

The Office of Rail Regulation has published key performanceindicators for CO2 emissions associated with rolling stock, and withthe energy consumption needed to run rail infrastructure;performance indicators for waste production and recycling are stillbeing defined.

The performance framework for local authorities is based on a seriesof National Indicators. National Indicator 185 aims to reduce thedirect and indirect carbon emissions associated with local authorityoperations; it applies to the local authorities that form PassengerTransport Executives, and activities which minimise such emissionsare likely to be welcomed.

The Carbon Reduction Commitment, although not currently applied torailway works, calls for carbon emissions to be valued at £12 pertonne. Understanding and controlling such ‘costs’ may become animportant driver within future updates to this Commitment.

2. reduce carbon emissions by:■ using locally available recycled

aggregates rather than quarriedaggregates from further away;

■ making the most of in-situmaterials and geosyntheticmaterials; and

■ reducing the transportationassociated with moving materialsand coordinating projects acrossthe rail sector to optimise materialmovements.


Taking the leadCo-ordinating with other local authoritypolicies is a key element of transportmanagement best practice. For example,Local Transport Plans (LTP) aim to embodythe goals and objectives contained incorporate statements as well as deliveringpre-requisite national objectives. Settingwaste diversion objectives in the LTP links toother corporate policies and provides readilyquantifiable mechanisms to progress towardswaste, recycling, landfill diversion, CO2 andother corporate targets.

The sustainability of the local area and themanagement of assets to deliver value formoney will also form part of the newComprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) inEngland. In its organisational assessment ofcouncils, the CAA will consider the effectivemanagement of resources, including naturalresources and physical assets. Theassessment considers the authority’sstrategic approach to asset management, andits integration with corporate and serviceplanning.

Actions on sustainable development areimportant priorities for local authorities oftendelivered through the planning processes.National guidance for planning authoritiesclearly states that waste should be used as aresource wherever possible.

Diverting waste from landfill and reducingcarbon emissions in infrastructure assetmanagement can form part of a continuousimprovement process under office or projectbased environmental management systems.

The principles behind reducing office wasteand using more recycled supplies can equallybe applied in public transport constructionand maintenance projects; this demonstratesconcerted action by the executive/authorityengineering or maintenance department, andis a good model for other departments.

4. demonstrate integrated action with:■ local authority transport policies;

■ local planning policies which support sustainableconstruction practices;

■ environmental management systems with a need forcontinuous improvement; and

■ initiatives for tackling office waste and for purchasingoffice supplies with a high recycled content.

3. satisfy corporate stakeholders, such as:■ meeting the requirements of the Office of Rail Regulation;

■ observing environmental objectives set by PassengerTransport Executives; and

■ meeting the wider strategic objectives of the localauthorities influencing projects.

5. address government drivers, such as:

■ WRAP’s Halving Waste to Landfill Commitment – thisvoluntary commitment is backed by the ScottishGovernment, Welsh Assembly Government, and by manygovernment departments in England;

■ the joint industry/government Strategy for SustainableConstruction for England which sets a target of halvingconstruction, demolition and excavation waste to landfillby 2012;

■ the Zero Waste Scotland vision, in addition to the ScottishGovernment having signed the Halving Waste to LandfillCommitment; and

■ requirements by the Welsh Assembly Government,Northern Ireland Central Procurement Directorate andScottish Government for publicly-funded construction touse 10% by value of recycled materials.


The critical action is to provide leadership and direction tothe supply chain, and to guide the project team to ensurethat waste and materials are addressed, measured andreported throughout a contract.

Project stage Action –what you need to do

Outcome –what result you will get

WRAP tools

Make a commitment onconstruction waste andinclude requirements in

policy documents

WRAP Procurement Guidance

Corporate commitmentdemonstrates resolve to the

supply chain. Documents canbe referred to in subsequent

stages

Collect contractual data fromconstruction supply chain on

waste to landfill KPIs andmetrics

Net Waste Tool

Reporting Portal

SWMP Template

Site-Specific Waste AnalysisTool (SSWAT)

Supply chain will report onagreed resource efficiencyperformance targets in acommon format. This will

allow the calculation of projectwaste metrics, waste

performance baseline and (if baseline known) reduction

in waste to landfill

Policy

Set Pre-qualificationQuestionnaire and Invitationto Tender questions that test

design team members’(engineers and consultants)

capability and relevantexperience

Appoint design teammembers, mandating wastereduction & recovery targets


Site Waste Management Plan(SWMP) Template

Designing out Waste Tool forCivil Engineering & Net

Waste Tool

AggRegain modules anddirectories

Prospective design teammembers will bid, trying todemonstrate capability and

relevant previous experience

Design team will setcontractually binding wastereduction & recovery targets

The client tenders andappoints principal

contractor, establishingactions and assigning

responsibilities throughformal contract

The principal contractortenders and appoints sub-

contractors and wastemanagement contractors,

establishes actions andassigns responsibilities

through formal contact, vianegotiation or agreements

made at meetings


Designing out Waste Tool forCivil Engineering & Net

Waste Tool

SWMP Template

Waste ManagementContractor Audit Protocol

Site-Specific Waste AnalysisTool (SSWAT)

AggRegain modules anddirectories

Principal contractor will becontractually required todeliver waste to landfill

objectives and will pass thisrequirement to their

supply chain

Sub-contractors and wastemanagement contractorssign up to responsibilities

and actions to deliverproject-specific targets on

waste reduction / wasterecovery / waste recycling

and use of recoveredmaterials

Preparation & Design

Pre-construction &Construction

Handover, Post-completion & Use

Client and principal contractor actions to reduce waste to landfill

Delivering the benefits through procurementThe diagram below shows the activities for the client and principalcontractor during the life cycle of a civil engineering or infrastructureproject, and the tools that are available to help at each stage.


Waste & ResourcesAction Programme

The Old Academy21 Horse FairBanbury, OxonOX16 0AH

Tel: 01295 819 900Fax: 01295 819 911E-mail: [email protected]

Helpline freephone0808 100 2040

While steps have been taken to ensure its accuracy, WRAP cannot accept responsibility or be held liable to any person for any loss or damage arising outof or in connection with this information being inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. This material is copyrighted. It may be reproduced free of chargesubject to the material being accurate and not used in a misleading context. The source of the material must be identified and the copyright statusacknowledged. This material must not be used to endorse or used to suggest WRAP’s endorsement of a commercial product or service. For moredetails, please refer to our Terms & Conditions on our website – www.wrap.org.uk

www.wrap.org.uk/construction

Where can I get more information?An extensive array of guidance and information is freely availablefrom WRAP.

Policy Halving Waste to Landfill Commitment –

www.wrap.org.uk/halvingwastetolandfill

Procurement Procurement Guidance for Building and Civil Engineering –

www.wrap.org.uk/constructionprocurement

Design Designing out Waste Guidance for Civil Engineering –

www.wrap.org.uk/designingoutwaste

Tools WRAP Resources guide – www.wrap.org.uk/construction Designing out Waste Tool for Civil Engineering –

www.wrap.org.uk/nwtool Net Waste Tool – www.wrap.org.uk/nwtool Site Waste Management Plan Template – www.wrap.org.uk/swmp WRAP AggRegain CO2 Emissions Estimator –

www.aggregain.org.uk/co2emissionstool

Materials Recycled Product Directory – www.wrap.org.uk/rcproducts WRAP AggRegain Recycled Aggregate Suppliers –

www.aggregain.org.uk/supplier_directory WRAP AggRegain Quality Protocol for Recycled Aggregates –

www.aggregain.org.uk/quality

Other information sources include: Sustainable Development Strategy and Action Plan for Civil

Engineering – www.ice.org.uk ■ Office of Rail Regulation – www.rail-reg.gov.uk ■ Office of Rail Regulation, Further Assessment of Approaches to

Improve Efficiency – www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.2001

■ Public Transport Executive Group – www.pteg.net ■ International Association of Public Transport – www.utip.org

Investing in wasteIn 2005, Network Rail recycled 91% ofballast, and, where this could not berecycled on the rail network, it was soldon to be recycled by others. Currently,Network Rail is planning to invest in thedevelopment of recycling infrastructureat the Whitemoor Marshalling Yardsincluding:

■ track recycling;

■ concrete sleeper recycling;

■ wooden sleeper processing;

■ ballast washing and recycling; and

■ points and other rail recycling.

When the redevelopment is complete, itaims to divert 500,000 concretesleepers from landfill every year (about117,000 tonnes of concrete) – avoidingabout £1.2 million pounds in landfillcosts and about 65 tonnes of CO2 intransport to landfill. Visitwww.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/4975.aspxfor more details on the proposals todevelop Whitemoor Yard.