Waste and resources
As a company committed to addressing our impact on the local environment, we have a well-established waste management framework that guides our approach to eliminating, reducing and reusing waste rather than sending it to landfill. We are also committed to using resources efficiently, and sourcing the materials we need sustainably.
The challenge
Consider for a moment all the cardboard boxes retailers have delivered, the food waste caterers have to dispose of, the reams of paper offices get through and the lights that get left on. Our challenge is to work with our occupiers and help them to reduce waste in ways that don't cost them anything or take up more of their employees' time.
Waste management
Our waste management strategy is aligned with UK Government targets for halving construction waste to landfill by 2012, and reusing or recycling 90% of excavation, demolition and construction waste by 2010. Our approach involves creating less waste, recycling more of the waste we do generate and re-using and repurposing the waste that can't be recycled.
During the year, the waste we sent to landfill reduced by 67% to 5,435 tonnes, and we either reused or recycled 79.4% (by weight) of our operational waste, compared to 51.7% last year. We implement our strategy through individual Site Waste Management Plans. These are not just about reusing and recycling materials, but also show how waste has been minimised during the design stages of a project.
We also diverted an increasing amount of waste arising from our head office premises, managed London offices and shopping centres. At our headquarters, for example, we:
- stopped using disposable plastic cutlery and replaced paper cups with china mugs
- encouraged online publications rather than printed materials, and set printers to default to double-sided printing
- encouraged suppliers to minimise or take back packaging
- set up communal recycling points for plastics, metal, paper and card, glass and food waste
- collected and donated unwanted spectacles, magazines, books and toiletries to local charities
- reused, donated or recycled unwanted furniture.
Although we set minimum targets, as shown below, our overall aim is 'zero waste to landfill'. Taking this approach with our London occupiers won a 'Green Oscar' at the Sustainable City Awards in February 2010, while five shopping centres also achieved zero waste to landfill: Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth; Willow Place in Corby; Leeds Shopping Plaza; White Rose Centre in Leeds; and the Lewisham Shopping Centre in London.
"Each centre that achieved zero waste to landfill has worked with local waste contractors to find out how different materials can be recycled locally – anything that cannot be reused or recycled is sent to an energy recovery facility where the waste undergoes combustion to produce electricity."
Sarah Beattie, Environment Manager
Waste diverted from landfill
| Waste diverted | Minimum target | |
|---|---|---|
| Head offices | 100% | 95% |
| Managed London offices | 98.8% | 90% |
| Shopping centres | 67% | 55% |
Case study
Green sweep at the Oscars
Land Securities celebrated a hat-trick of awards at the ninth annual Sustainable City Awards held in London in February 2010. Presented by the Corporation of London, these national awards, known as the 'Green Oscars', recognise and reward UK organisations for outstanding achievement and innovation across all aspects of sustainability.
Land Securities won two of the 11 categories – 'Tackling Climate Change' for our voluntary carbon reduction programme in our shopping centres and 'Responsible Waste Management' for our new 'zero waste to landfill' policy for London occupiers – and we were also shortlisted in the 'Resource Conservation' category. Land Securities also claimed the Sustain Magazine Leadership In Sustainability Award.
"Advances in technology alongside simple changes in behaviour can achieve some of the strongest results. In this case, we diverted some 4,639 tonnes of rubbish from landfill and achieved estimated annual savings of £100,000 from reduced energy and water usage. These awards recognise that good environmental practices make good business sense."
Dave Farebrother, Environmental Director, Land Securities
Resource use
In all our new developments, we aim to achieve a minimum level of 20% recycled content by value. In the only development project we undertook in 2009/10, One New Change, 84.4% of the construction waste was diverted from landfill.
For us, a BREEAM rating of "Very Good" is a minimum for every project, but we like to push the boundaries whenever we can. We use sustainably sourced, low-impact materials, such as timber from sustainable sources certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and seek to achieve certification under the FSC's project-specific methodology for every new development. We also collect rainwater for reuse at Dashwood House, White Rose, Cabot Circus and Livingston: The Centre. In 2009, our development at St David's in Cardiff achieved an "Excellent" BREEAM rating.
Water use
We recognise that water consumption is a growing issue of importance for our business, and have set a target to reduce the average consumption of water across our London portfolio by 5%, compared to our 2009/10 benchmark. In 2009/10, we used 0.63m3 of water per square metre per year, which equates to a 22.5% reduction from 2008/09. However, we recognise that this has been largely achieved because of empty buildings and a general reduction in occupier workforces, so our 10-year reduction target will be normalised against portfolio occupancy rates.
Case studies
Swap shop
Did you know... that through our 'One man's trash' scheme, head office waste products such as cardboard boxes (for moves), newspapers (for pets' litter trays) and yoghurt pots (for growing seedlings) are made available for staff to take? In April and May 2010, we also trialled 'Swap 'til you Drop', through which unwanted clothes, CDs and books were exchanged.
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84%
Waste diverted from landfill
Laying rubbish to waste
Did you know... that the Willow Place shopping centre in Corby went through 2009 without sending a single piece of waste to landfill? Any item of waste, from coat hangers and cans to wood and plastic, that couldn't be recycled or reused was sent to a local incinerator and the ash converted into charcoal.
Let's make it clear
Did you know... that through our new Clearlet initiative, which simplifies the leasing process and documentation for retailers, we are trialling 'green lease' clauses in six stores. We also signed green Memoranda of Understanding with occupiers in two London offices in September 2009, so we can reduce the environmental impacts of each building. We hope to roll this out across our London Portfolio.
Rain check
Did you know... that in 2009/10, our Environment team undertook a rainwater harvesting project with University College London (UCL)? The students gathered data from our buildings, met with our project managers and developed a tool that will help us to assess the viability and size of future rainwater collection schemes.
We have also agreed to work with a UCL PhD student, who will research the effects and acceptability of behavioural changes on building energy performance.