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Build out waste
Plan for your construction project's waste
“Building out waste” refers to designing and building with the intention of minimising or eliminating waste in the construction process.
If you’re planning a construction or demolition project, there are many benefits to building out waste. By thinking about materials and where surplus/waste materials go before you start, you can reduce your build costs by reducing what you spend on landfill disposal. It’s good for business, and the environment.
Construction and demolition waste is the largest category of waste to landfill locally and nationally – at 50% of all waste to landfill. Much of it can be recovered and reused, and by keeping it out of landfill we extend finite landfill capacity, meaning less needs to be invested in building new landfills.
Case study
The Pā Reo Campus project is an aspirational case for how construction waste diversion can be achieved in Aotearoa.
Resource recovery in district
Otaihanga Zero Waste is leading the way as one of the region's first construction and demolition (C&D) recovery and material reuse sites and it’s located right here in Kāpiti.
Contact them to arrange a visit to see how they can support your usable material diversion in your construction or demolition project.
Resource recovery in region
A second C&D resource recovery facility will be open from June 2026 in Porirua, operated by WasteCo.
Plan your projects waste with a waste management plan (WMP)
A waste minimisation plan is the written record of what must be done to achieve the goals you have set for managing construction waste.
Get your immediate and extended team on board, along with any contractors or visitors you’ll have on site. Work with your locals/regulars and suppliers to specify the best materials and plot out your purchasing and deliveries schedule.
Building is one of Kāpiti’s largest business sectors so get your suppliers on board to support your waste plan goals and outcomes, whether it’s for NZGBC Homestar or Greenstar certification; specified by clients; or for your own maximising of resources.
Free WMP templates:
- BRANZ REBRI Waste minimisation plan.
- Mitre 10 Waste management & minimisation plan template.
- Waste Management Plan Template [XLSX 69 KB]
Your WMP should include:
- A list of the types of waste materials expected from the project
- Goals and objectives for waste reduction
- Options for eliminating, reducing or recycling waste
- Ways to measure and track progress
- Roles and responsibilities for waste management on site
During the project:
- Select a plan that works for you and your team.
- Champions lead – Give one person authority and responsibility for the plan – even if reducing waste is a team effort.
- Estimate the types and percentage of waste that will be produced (e.g. on average 13% of plasterboard used on a job is wasted).
- Work out what bins you’ll need for those waste types and when during the build you might need them (working with forward-thinking waste service providers can make this easier).
- Set reduction goals by key types of waste.
- Determine options for reuse and recycling (working with Otaihanga Zero Waste or Zero Waste Ōtaki can make this easier, too).
- Measure your progress and record it.
- Celebrate your wins – Friday shouts are a great way to reward your team for their hard work.
- Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect. The main thing is to make a start and record the data. You can always make changes as you go.
At the end of each project, review the WMP with your team to see what worked, what didn’t, and what could be improved. Compare the actual waste numbers with your goals and objectives and celebrate what you’ve achieved. Share it with your clients, and Council.
Then, if necessary, update and adjust the WMP for your next project.
Changes from 1 July 2026
From 1 July Building Consents with an estimated value of $2m or more will be required to submit, monitor and report back on construction and demolition waste plans as part of their application.
To help Build Consent applicants with an estimated value of $2m or more Otaihanga Zero Waste offer a free 45-minute consult to discuss material pathways, and also options for how they can support you to meet the new requirements. Contact them for more information about these services and how diversion can be cost-neutral compared with landfilling usable waste items.
The ongoing Te Ara Whetū redevelopment project has a high 70% waste diversion target. The lead contractors Naylor Love are working hard to minimise waste at the build stage. By engaging Otaihanga Zero Waste (OZW) as onsite waste recovery partner they are are receiving monthly material diversion data by material type, making it straightforward to report to council.
When the project is complete the project team will create a case study to share learns from the different stages of the project, to help inform future projects in district.
A consistent approach to waste management and minimisation
Councils in the Wellington region adopted a consistent Solid Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw in 2021. One of the requirements of that bylaw is for construction and demolition waste management plans at or above a certain threshold value. Building pathways for materials and products to be diverted, recovered and reused takes time, effort and external funding.
Kāpiti Coast District Council fronted up seed funding – via waste levy, not from rates - for an operator to build capacity for C&D waste priority materials. Via a prior year’s waste levy grants competitive process, funding was awarded to a joint venture between Localised and Sustainability Trust that independently operates Otaihanga Zero Waste.
We're taking a knowledge-share approach with this part of the waste bylaw, to help builders, developers, and specifiers ‘build out waste’ for the benefit of the community, their own brand equity, and it keeps existing landfills operating for longer.
Useful links
- Otaihanga Zero Waste – book in for a site visit to meet the team
- Construction and demolition waste diversion cost benefit analysis
- REBRI national resource recovery map