Environment

Certification

Certification is a new service offering certification and registration services, including Competent Person, Green Deal Installer and MCS Installer Certification, to help you offer the self certification and low carbon building services customers want. For more information visit the Certification pages or contact the FMB on 020 7092 3881.

You can find out about environmental regulations which affect your business from the government web site at

www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business for England and Wales. Visit www.netregs.gov.uk for guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Government’s Green Construction Board has produced top 20 tips for greening the industry which can be found at www.greenconstructionboard.org/index.php/resources/top-tips.

The WRAP web site has useful information and advice about construction waste at
www.wrap.org.uk/category/sector/construction.

You can find out about green building products available from the following websites;

For information on the Green Deal and training courses designed to help you prepare for the green building market visit the Training Green Building page or contact the FMB's training department on 020 7092 3833.

Information sheets on the Environment

Title	Category
Energy Performance Certificates	Building and Building Regulations
Site Waste Management Plans	Environment
Site Waste Management	Environment
Site Waste Registration	Environment

Latest articles from Master Builder magazine

Tighter restrictions on the disposal of plasterboard and gypsum

Article

June 2009

Under the Landfill Directive, the landfilling of gypsum and other high sulphate bearing wastes with biodegradable waste has been prohibited since July 2005.

Until recently the Environment Agency for England and Wales took a pragmatic view that separate disposal was not necessary where construction waste contained small amounts (up to 10 percent) of this material, this was known as the 10 percent rule. The Agency has now revised its guidance to remove this exemption. Since 1 April 2009, the Agency will now take action, including prosecution, if waste containing gypsum is accepted into a landfill cell containing biodegradable waste.

From now on loads containing any identifiable gypsum based wastes must not be landfilled with biodegradable waste. Gypsum waste must be recovered and recycled wherever possible and where it is sent to landfill, it must be deposited in a separate cell where no biodegradable waste has been accepted.

The major plasterboard manufacturers have set up take-back service and there is a directory of companies that recycle waste plasterboard available at http://www.wrap.org.uk/construction/plasterboard/plasterboard_4.html

Image	Title
	Sustainability - Materials from responsible sources