Manage our use of natural resources, reduce waste and put it to valuable uses.
By managing our waste sustainably we can conserve precious natural resources, play our part in UK carbon reduction, and save money. We’re aiming not only to reduce the amount of waste we manage but also send more of it to beneficial uses such as reuse and recycling.
Our target is to divert 95% of waste to beneficial use by 2020. Our operations generate a substantial amount of waste – from the sludge produced at our wastewater treatment works to the material displaced when we dig holes. Some of the waste we deal with is difficult to treat, and achieving the target continues to require a big commitment from employees and contractors across many different business areas.
In 2016/17, we improved our performance by diverting 94.7% of our total waste produced to beneficial use, or just over 480,000 wet tonnes. We continue to drive for improved waste performance, which is reflected by a decrease of waste taken to landfill at 5.3%, or 27,283 wet tonnes. This demonstrates an improvement in the way in which we are managing the sustainable disposal of our waste.