According to Defra, the construction industry is responsible for 68 million tonnes of construction and demolition wastes each year. While 92% of those wastes are recovered, that still leaves 5 million tonnes going to landfill. It is also understood that most of construction and demolition wastes are crushed and used in low value applications. Products installed in buildings, in particular, in fit out projects, are often taken out of buildings before the end of their useful life because, for example, a new tenants moves in. this generates large amount of unnecessary wastes.
As the pressure on the sector is growing to reduce its environmental impact, there is a need to identify products before the building is stripped out – this can be done through a visual audit which can identify type, quantities and locations of the products.
To support this, FIS has published a document, based on the CIWM pre-redevelopment audit protocol, to guide contractors through the best practice approach of carrying pre-fitout audit. The document explains who is best placed to do it, why it is important, when is best to do it and what the audit should contain.
Pre Fit Out Audit
The pre fit-out audit guide builds on the CIWM pre-redevelopment audit protocol to provide a specific best practice approach for the fit-out sector. This document should be used in conjunction with the table of platforms that have been identified to divert wastes from landfill/incineration. It was developed by the FIS sustainability leadership group.