Utilities Sector Commits to Groundbreaking Agreement

The agreement - which has been brokered by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) - is the result of extensive consultation with a wide range of industry stakeholders. It seeks to address the 4.8 million tonnes of trench arisings that the utilities industry produces each year, over half of which is currently going to landfill. In signing the agreement, utilities companies and their contractors are pledging their support to achieving greater materials resource efficiency in street works by writing policies and setting targets aimed at achieving an increased use of recycled and stabilised materials and reducing waste arisings sent to landfill.

EDF Energy, National Grid, Thames Water, Three Valleys Water and Scotia Gas Networks are among the first utility companies to commit to the agreement.

Paul de Jong, Sustainable Construction Manager at National Grid, says: “This unique agreement provides the utilities industry with a common approach to improving the environmental impact of its work.  It will be challenging at first, but through sharing best practice we can work together to break down any barriers that are preventing us from being more sustainable.  The agreement acts as a catalyst for ongoing improvement in both environmental and financial terms.”

By signing up to the agreement, utilities companies are committing to:

• embed in company policies the use of recycled and stabilised materials and the reduction of waste arisings sent to landfill;
• set company targets and milestones to achieve the policies;
• use procurement and contractual arrangements to deliver these targets;
• promote the use of recycled and stabilised materials; and
• proactively share knowledge on trials of recycled and stabilised materials through a dedicated online database.

A supporting agreement has also been developed for contractors to commit to agreeing to the targets set by the utilities company as well as writing their own policies and contractual requirements to ensure the same level of commitment from sub-contractors. Contractors already committing to this agreement include Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, Clancy Docwra, Morrison Utility Services and Skanska.

Mike Watson, Head of Construction at WRAP, comments: “This sector agreement has been developed for the industry, by the industry. It helps to support the drive towards sustainability in the construction sector by providing a framework for delivering greater materials efficiencies. WRAP will continue to encourage more signatories to sign up and to support the implementation of the agreement and its objectives in practice.”

Local authorities are also an important contributor to the agreement through the HAUC (Highways Authorities and Utility Committee) Memorandum of Understanding. This will enable local authorities to approve and encourage the use of recycled and stabilised materials - where they meet specified performance and quality requirements - and support the utility companies and their contractors in reducing waste to landfill.

Barry Lucas, Principal Technical Officer for Islington Council, commented: “The sector’s been crying out for an industry-wide agreement to help it become more environmentally-friendly and save costs.
“Islington Council got involved because it’s a positive step towards real sustainability, and complements our own ambition to become the greenest borough in London.
“Through the Utilities Industry Agreement, WRAP is making sure the whole industry is doing things the right way – which is best for everyone.”

Supporting documentation and guidance has been developed to underpin the agreement and provide practical advice for all stakeholders, including utilities companies, contractors, local authorities and highways authorities, in changing existing practices to deliver the objective of the agreements.

The Utilities Industry Agreement embodies the recommendations included in the Government’s draft Strategy for Sustainable Construction (2007), which suggests the development of voluntary agreements by industry sectors as one method for improving the efficient use of materials and reducing the industry’s carbon footprint. It will also enable the utilities sector to demonstrate clearly how they are delivering against the targets outlined in the draft Strategy and the England Waste Strategy (2007) to halve waste to landfill by 2012 and achieve zero waste to landfill by 2020.