The gypsum from waste plasterboard can be recycled for use in plasterboard and cement manufacture, and as a soil improver.
Through the Waste Protocols Project we have gathered evidence on standards the material meets, markets it may be able to exploit, and most importantly any potential impacts on human health and the environment. The aim is to establish whether the waste can be considered to be fully recovered and as quality products.
This quality protocol could help industry to recycle more of the one million tonnes of waste plasterboard generated in the UK every year – we calculate that, on average, it could divert over 48,800 tonnes away from landfill each year.
What are the benefits?
In addition to diverting waste away from landfill, compliance with the quality protocol could save 46,800 tonnes of virgin raw material.
It could save businesses over £4,955,000 each year, largely due to landfill charges, and could create markets worth over £1.4 million a year.
In agriculture, where natural/synthetic gypsum is used as a soil improver, farmers have indicated that the complications of applying for an environmental permit deter them from using cheaper, but equally beneficial gypsum from waste plasterboard. The protocol should remove this complication.
The current status
You can download the quality protocol for the end of waste criteria for the production and use of recycled gypsum from waste plasterboard.
You can also download:
Find out how we regulate the production and use of gypsum.
To find out how Northern Ireland regulates the production and use of gypsum from waste plaster board please follow this link:
Get involved
If you produce or recycle waste plasterboard, it is likely to be in your interests to comply with the forthcoming quality protocol. See above for links to the documentation and look out for the final quality protocol.
Find out which recyclers can use your waste. A good place to start is the Waste Directory.
If you are an end user of plasterboard, cement or soil improvers created from these sources you can be assured of their quality when compliant with the protocol.
More information
For information on a voluntary initiative to halve the amount of construction waste going to landfill each by 2012 see WRAP’s construction waste recovery pages.
If you would like further help, please email waste protocols.
