Mace has been using Hazibags at the Sky Campus development in West London to deliver best practice in hazardous waste management.

Background

Mace is constructing two new buildings as part of the Sky campus development at its headquarters in West London. Construction of the first building is due to complete in summer 2014, and the second at the end of 2015.

Sky maintains high sustainability standards which are reflected in the aspirations for their new buildings, both of which are targeting to achieve BREEAM excellent ratings.

This is matched by Mace’s commitment to sustainable practices which has seen many initiatives introduced on site including sourcing materials responsibly and targets for employing staff within a 30 mile radius of the site.

Managing waste on site

Mace’s sustainability manager Stephanie Taylor, introduced Hazibags at the start of the build. One cubic metre and 200 litre Hazibags are used for spills and to store COSHH waste including mastic tubes, sealants and paint tins. To achieve consistency across the site and make waste handling as easy as possible, the Hazibags are also being used by subcontractors.

Benefits of Hazibag

Hazibags help meet high environmental standards by providing a solution that improves the management of hazardous waste collection, segregation and disposal.

Key to the success of Hazibags has been:

• A visual product that stands out on site
• Simple to use, which helps drive understanding and reminds staff and subcontractors how easy it is to segregate hazardous waste
• Easy to store, taking up minimal storage space, which helps to keep the site tidy and improves general housekeeping
• A zip top keeps the hazardous waste contents secure within the bag and the rainwater out

Client feedback

Last year Mace measured notable improvements in its sustainability performance across all its UK projects as a result of training and engagement initiatives and activities.

These help to encourage and share best practice across the business. One of these initiatives includes monthly site inspections that monitor and reward innovation, cost saving and environmental benefits. Last month the Sky site was rewarded for the introduction of Hazibags, an initiative that was shared across the Mace sustainability team, and will be used to demonstrate innovation and good practice in Mace’s forthcoming Considerate Constructors Scheme audit.

Stephanie Taylor said: “Innovation and the sharing of best practice are at the core of Mace’s sustainability strategy. We want to be recognised as one of the leaders in sustainability and we always seek to introduce innovative solutions which will benefit the environment while reducing costs and inefficiencies. The Hazibags are helping us deliver a consistent message across the site around the way we manage and control hazardous waste, and we hope their use will be extended to many more of our sites going forward.”