How to measure emissions from Waste construction

What counts as Waste construction

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated by an organisation's own building, fit-out, refurbishment or demolition activities. Covers thirteen tracked sub-streams, from bulk materials such as aggregates, concrete, bricks and asphalt to specialist streams such as asbestos, mineral oil, insulation and tyres.

This page is for waste arising from construction, refurbishment or demolition projects the organisation itself commissions or carries out — not for the ongoing operational waste covered by waste refuse, waste paper or waste plastic. Because a construction-waste skip can contain several materials, the platform lets you record each sub-stream separately using the waste type selector rather than forcing everything into one blended tonnage; use the most specific sub-stream available. Watch for double-counting: scrap metal or timber arising from a site is either reported here under 'Waste: Metals' or 'Waste: Wood', or under the general waste metal or waste refuse pages — pick one home for each waste transfer note and keep to it across reporting periods. Hazardous streams such as asbestos and mineral oil should be tracked separately even where volumes are small, since they carry their own duty-of-care and consignment note requirements.

What activity data you need

Collect the most specific physical unit available. Unit definitions are in Appendix I — Description of Units.

• Tonne

Which emission scope it falls under

Waste construction activity data typically maps to Scope 3 Category 5 under the GHG Protocol. Confirm organisational boundary and ownership before reporting.

Sub-types available in the platform

All 13 sub-types available in the platform.

• Waste: Aggregates
• Waste: Asbestos
• Waste: Asphalt
• Waste: Average construction
• Waste: Bricks
• Waste: Concrete
• Waste: Insulation
• Waste: Metals
• Waste: Mineral oil
• Waste: Plasterboard
• Waste: Soils
• Waste: Tyres
• Waste: Wood

Common questions

What counts as construction and demolition waste versus general business waste?

This page covers waste from building, refurbishment or demolition projects the organisation commissions — materials such as concrete, bricks, plasterboard, insulation and site-generated metal or wood. Day-to-day office or facilities waste, such as general refuse or recycling from normal operations, belongs on the waste refuse, waste paper, waste plastic or waste metal pages instead.

Do I need separate figures for hazardous streams like asbestos or mineral oil?

Yes. Asbestos, mineral oil and similar hazardous streams have their own consignment note and duty-of-care requirements, so they should be tracked and reported as distinct sub-streams rather than folded into a general construction waste total.

How do I avoid double-counting metal or wood captured under both waste construction and waste metal?

Decide, per project or per waste transfer note, whether site-arising metal and wood are reported under waste construction's 'Waste: Metals' and 'Waste: Wood' sub-streams or under the general waste metal page, and apply that choice consistently so the same tonnage isn't reported twice.

Where do I find weight data if my contractor only issues skip counts?

Ask the contractor for the tonnage summary from their weighbridge or the project's site waste management plan; most waste carriers can convert skip or container counts into weights on request, and this is the figure that should be used rather than an assumed skip weight.

Should temporary skips from an office refurbishment be reported here?

Yes — waste from any construction, fit-out or refurbishment project sits on this page regardless of scale, provided it is generated by work the organisation is having carried out, rather than by routine day-to-day operations.