Four in five UK tradespeople could recycle more of their waste 

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  Posted by: electime      24th February 2022

Four in five UK tradespeople could recycle more of their waste 

  • 83 per cent don’t know which materials can and can’t be recycled
  • Almost nine in ten (87 per cent) aren’t confident on waste management regulations
  • Plumbers are the most likely tradespeople to recycle, but scaffolders are the least likely

More than four in five (83 per cent) UK tradespeople say they could recycle more of their work waste, but don’t because they aren’t confident on the rules and regulations, new research has found.

The study by IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, found that almost nine in ten (87 per cent) tradespeople feel uncertain about waste management laws.

In fact, the vast majority (80 per cent) of workers don’t know where their local recycling facilities are located.

However, there is a strong appetite to address the issue. Almost a quarter (24 per cent) of tradespeople say they are actively trying to reduce the amount of excess they send to landfill, and a similar number (28 per cent) would like more support from local authorities to be able to recycle more.

Furthermore, a fifth (20 per cent) try to reuse any materials leftover from jobs and almost one in six (16 per cent) donate spare parts to good causes.

Perhaps due to the nature of their work, some trades are more likely to recycle their waste than others.

Plumbers recycle the most often, with almost three-quarters (73 per cent) saying they do so either always or most of the time. This could be because they are the most knowledgeable about waste management regulations (23 per cent), suggesting education is key.

Interestingly, young tradespeople are far more likely to send waste to landfill than their older counterparts. Almost a third (31 per cent) of millennials (25-34s) say their excess materials go straight to the tip, which is more than double the figure for 45-55-year-olds and over 55s (both 12 per cent).

However, millennials are also the most vocal about wanting support to recycle more (36 per cent), showing an eagerness to be more environmentally friendly.

Dominick Sandford, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect, said: “Tradespeople are naturally going to produce waste in their line of work, and while more could be recycled, it’s clear that there’s a real willingness to be as green as possible.

“The figures around young workers in particular point to a clear opportunity to educate and train the next generation of tradespeople in more sustainable practices.

“That’s why we’ve partnered with waste management experts to explain the rules tradespeople need to follow and give advice on how to dispose of each material.”

For expert advice on how to dispose of different materials, visit: www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/blog/work-waste