Willmott Dixon is nearing the completion of three new primary schools and is working with the Enabling Zero Waste team at Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW). The schools are being built as part of a £15.6million project which will provide a total of 1050 pupil places in Torfaen.

• Blenheim Road Community Primary School – replacement on the current site, 315 pupil places
• Ysgol Panteg – replacement of the Griffithstown and Kemys Fawr sites on a new site on Station Road, 420 pupil places
• Llantarnam Community Primary School – replacement on the site of Llantarnam secondary school, 315 pupil places

All three primary schools are based on the same design, giving Blenheim Road and Llantarnam the potential to expand to 420 places in the future. Utilising a similar design offers the Enabling Zero Waste (EZW) team at CEW a unique opportunity to directly compare waste production.

Canteen and office waste was highlighted by the Willmott Dixon team as a particular issue. Historically this waste was all collected in black bags and disposed of in the mixed waste skips. Data provided by Willmott Dixon suggested that canteen and office waste filled a third of mixed waste skips. This has led to a pilot project with Torfaen County Borough Council (TCBC). TCBC is collecting food waste and segregated recyclates from the canteen and office facilities on site. This scheme has garnered interest from the Welsh Local Government Association. Benefits include:

• Increased diversion from landfill for recyclates and food waste
• Fewer collections of mixed waste skips from construction sites; reducing the number of skip lorries on the roads in Torfaen
• Lower mixed skip weights reducing waste disposal costs
• Increased recycling rates
• Increased throughput for digestion facilities

If you would like to find out more about Enabling Zero Waste, please visit our website  ; follow @EZWaste_Wales or call a member of the team on 02920 493322.