Alarmingly, if current trends persist, plastic pollution in construction could triple by 2060, surpassing 1.1 billion tons of waste. But there is an important difference between these two sectors. Whilst the retail sector has started to focus efforts on identifying and reducing plastic consumption, such measures are lacking in the construction industry.
The problem is that we have no real idea how much plastic goes into the buildings that surround us; the buildings we might call ‘home’. Until we can assess these buildings, we cannot work out how to improve them.
Our research provides answers to some of these questions. It identifies ways to assess and reduce plastic to align with a carbon zero agenda.
Below is a small sample of our research…
Where is the plastic and how do we reduce it? A case study of Millers Quay in Wirral Waters
Funder: Peel Waters (regeneration company)
Partners: Changing Streams CIC
This project provides the first ever plastic audit of a large real-world project. Focusing on the design and specifications for a landmark project within the Wirral Waters regeneration scheme (Millers Quay), it identifies and assesses the amount of plastic used in the scheme. It identifies alternatives and measures to reduce plastic in subsequent design projects.
Download case study (Peel Waters)
For more information contact: Dr Gareth Abrahams
Sustainable housing design: A case study of existing and new build affordable housing
Funder: Your Housing Group (affordable housing company)
Partners: Changing Streams CIC
This 2-year research project develops new insight and ideas for improving the sustainability of homes delivered and maintained by YHG and applicable to the affordable housing sector as a whole. This includes the design of new-build houses, the refurbishment of existing housing stock to improve energy performance and opportunities to improve energy consumption on an individual tenant basis through targeted education / communication pieces.
Download case study (Your Housing Group)
For more information contact: Dr Gareth Abrahams
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