Todays post from Builderscrap.com continues the recycling around the world series.  Todays focus is GERMANY: BBC reporter Tristana Moore gives us the details.

The Germans like to think of themselves as the world champions of the environment. There is no denying the fact that Germans take green issues seriously. When it comes to separating your household rubbish, this can be a complicated business.

As a foreigner living in Berlin, you can easily be embarrassed by your German friends who will berate you for not separating your rubbish.

There are at least five types of rubbish bin in the courtyards of apartment buildings and inside people’s houses. Luckily, the bins are colour-coded, to avoid any confusion – a yellow bin for packaging (old milk cartons etc), a blue bin for paper and cardboard, bins for glass (separated into ones for clear, brown and green glass) a “Bio” bin designed for left-over food and plant waste. Finally, there is a black bin for the rest of the rubbish (or for those people who do not bother to sort out their rubbish).

In theory, people are obliged under German law to take any “special rubbish,” such as batteries or chemicals, to a recycling centre. If you fail to do this, it could be considered an “administrative offence”, although in practice prosecutions are rare.

The separation of rubbish is not compulsory for the private citizen, but according to surveys, around 90% of Germans are willing to sort out their rubbish.

Where all this rubbish finally ends up is also complicated. According to a new law which came into force on the first of June 2005, the left-over rubbish must not simply be consigned to a rubbish dump, but it must be subjected to a pre-treatment process.

Continuing the BuilderScrap.com recycling around the world series… we look at DENMARK

Waste is not just waste. That is the underlying philosophy of one of Europe’s “greenest” countries. For decades, the Danish environment policy has been to regard waste as a resource.

Tough standards have been set by consecutive governments, but it is up to the local authorities to collect whatever waste households may produce.

In 2003 that averaged 559 kg of waste per Dane, ranging from plastic and paper to bottles and batteries. In those councils where not all types of waste are collected at the house, nearby disposal sites or citizen helplines are in place.

Nearly 10,000 Danes are in the business of collecting waste – more than 0.1% of the entire population.

The hard push towards a greener Denmark has given he country a proud record.

Government figures for 2003 suggest that 31% of all household waste was recycled, while 62% was incinerated. The remaining 6% was landfill waste.

However, often the total amount of waste is not big enough for Denmark to have its own recycling plants. In particular, plastic waste, waste from electrical and electronic products, and batteries and metal are sent abroad for recycling.

The government also aims to limit the waste mountain by encouraging industry to promote products that leave a minimum of waste after use.

Todays BuilderScrap.com posts continues our look at how other countries deal with waste and recycling.

We are looking at the UNITED STATES: with a BBC report from Matthew Davis

Efforts to improve recycling rates and to reduce household and commercial waste are led by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Today, the US recycles about 28% of its waste, the EPA says, a rate that has almost doubled during the past 15 years.

Recycling of specific materials has grown even more drastically: 42% of all paper, 40% of all plastic soft drink bottles, 55% of all aluminium beer and soft drink cans, 57% of all steel packaging, and 52% of all major appliances are now recycled.

Twenty years ago, only one roadside recycling programme existed in the US.

By 1998 there were 9,000 roadside programmes and 12,000 recyclable drop-off centres across the nation.

Some 480 materials recovery plants have been established to process the collected materials.

In 1999, recycling and composting activities prevented about 64 million tons of material from ending up in landfills and incinerators.

The EPA’s WasteWise scheme is aimed at businesses and other organisations and targets the reduction of municipal solid waste and certain industrial wastes.

Recycling rates vary from state to state. At the bottom end of the scale Alaska, Wyoming and Montana recycle less than 9% of waste, while in New York, Virginia and five other states more than 40% of waste is recycled.

Here in the BuilderScrap offices we’re really enjoying these insights into how other countries operate. We love to find out about different systems, contrasting attitudes and how the we can benchmark and improve our systems.

BuilderScrap.com is looking into the Recycling effort around the world

We know the UK government is trying to encourage more people to recycle their waste and reduce the UK’s waste mountain. Figures suggested in 2005 that 60% of all household waste could be recycled or composted, but the largest nation in the UK, England, appears to be reusing only 17.7%.

We’ve found some articles from BBC correspondents that provide a snapshot of how the UK’s European neighbours and other countries approach recycling of everyday rubbish.

Todays country is: SWITZERLAND: Imogen Foulkes investigates.

Switzerland is proud of its recycling efforts, and with good reason. Glass and paper are just some of the things the average Swiss refuses to simply throw away.

There are bottle banks at every supermarket, with separate slots for clear, green and brown glass. Every town has a free paper collection once a month, and that does not mean just old newspapers; most people recycle everything made of cardboard or paper, from cereal packets to old telephone bills.

Then there is green waste. If you have a garden, all the trimmings can be put out on the street (neatly bundled of course) every two weeks, and they will be collected.

Aluminium and tin can be taken to local depots, batteries handed over at the supermarket, and old oil or other chemicals deposited at special sites.

Plastic PET bottles are the most common drinks containers in Switzerland, and 80% of them are recycled – far higher than the European average of 20 to 40%.

But the Swiss do not recycle just because they care about the environment. There is a strong financial incentive. Recycling is free, but in most parts of Switzerland throwing away rubbish costs money – each rubbish bag has to have a sticker on it, and each sticker costs at least one euro (60 pence).

So the less you throw out, the less you pay. No sticker? Then the rubbish will be left outside your house to rot.

The burning question that we at BuilderScrap.com want answered!

Q: Is it feasible to halve construction, demolition and excavation waste to landfill by 2012 from a baseline of 2005? Is the baseline appropriate, and what specifically has to be done, and by whom, to achieve this target?

1. Just over 50% of respondents to this question said they considered the target feasible and appropriate, while only four explicitly concluded that it was not feasible.

2. Around 40% of respondents commented on the importance of a clear definition and methodology in setting and monitoring performance against this target. Opinions were divided over the use of 2005 as the baseline year; some thought more information was needed before a judgement could be made. Around 25% of respondents thought the industry needed a better understanding of the breakdown of Construction, Demolition and Excavation waste and measurement techniques.

3. Many respondents underlined the importance of an integrated approach to reducing waste. 10% questioned whether and how the target might be broken down for different sectors and companies. These respondents generally felt that it would be easier to deliver specific targets (e.g. on design, manufacturing etc.) rather than a single overarching target.

4. Some 20% of respondents highlighted the importance of the procurement and design stages in waste minimisation.

5. Respondents described a range of measures to help meet this target. The two most popular were Site Waste Management Plans; and WRAP (Waste Resource Action Program) processes, use of which might be more vigorously promoted or mandated. A smaller number of respondents highlighted the importance of strong fiscal and regulatory measures (e.g. landfill tax, aggregates levy).

6. There were also suggestions for greater training and education across the supply chain, the development of national or local waste markets/exchanges, improved supply chain co-ordination and greater investment in and better access to waste treatment centres.

This press release issued by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) discusses their major new initiative to halve the amount of waste the construction industry sends to landfill by 2012.

Liz Goodwin, Chief Executive of WRAP stressed the opportunity that waste reduction presents in the current economic climate: “Waste by its very definition is a missed opportunity. Indeed, the true cost of waste is over 10 times higher than the cost of disposal, once the value of the wasted materials is taken into account.”

This is exactly the point we at BuilderScrap are trying to convey. We are trying to encourage the industry to view waste as a resource – by utilising this website to reuse surplus materials where possible you can benefit from reduced costs and potential revenue.

Register free now and start saving the environment and your costs.

Why should I bother?

Ok, so we all know that we need to start changing our attitude towards the environment, and are constantly being bombarded with words like ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘global warming’. You don’t have to be a sandal wearing, tree hugging eco-warrior to care about green issues. In fact, a 2007 survey commissioned by Hyder Consulting shows that 86% of people in the UK worry about the environment.

DEFRA figures show that the construction industry is responsible for 20% of UK waste, the equivalent of 90 million tonnes. BuilderScrap aims to reduce this by encouraging a culture of reuse and of diverting tonnage form landfill.

As well as the warm, fuzzy feeling you get from helping protect our little island from turning into a huge landfill site, there are several benefits using this system can have to your business.

Skips cost a fortune, and the bad news is they are going up! Landfill tax is increasing every year, and when you consider the cost of the labour to fill them, and the cost of goods being thrown away, you might as well start lighting cigars with wads of fifties. Ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration but you get the jist!

Even if you don’t charge for the items you upload to the site, you are saving costs. If you do make some money off the goods, it’s a bonus for you and goes straight on the bottom line.

One of the big benefits to an organisation improving its environmental performance is the associated improvement in company perception. Clients are becoming increasingly concerned with the green credentials of their suppliers, and are often requesting to see environmental policies along with Health and Safety and Quality Assurance documents.

How does it Work?

Once you have registered on the site, you can upload items via MMS from your mobile, email or through the website. It’s dead easy and the best news is – its free! The only charge is for sending an MMS. Items go live within a few minutes, and people can then contact you directly if they are interested in your products.

Is it really free?

Yep! It certainly is. The only cost is for sending an MMS message, if you use this. It doesn’t cost a penny to upload by email or online.

Sounds fantastic! When can I start saving money and the planet?!

We are currently testing the site with some local, friendly companies who are helping us make sure it is perfect for when we launch. We are hoping to launch a pilot scheme in the North West in September, and launch to the industry whole later in the year.

How Can I Find Out More?

Email your contact details to support@builderscrap.comand we will contact you with further information, or visit us at Interbuild this October at stand 05-F146.