Waste minimisation and material reuse at Eden Project, England

The Eden Project aims to promote the understanding and responsible management of the vital relationship between plants, people and resources, leading to a sustainable future for all. Located in a former china clay pit, the project has welcomed over five million visitors since opening in 2001 and is home to the two largest conservatories in the world. During the early phases of development the Eden Project recognised that its approach to waste was not wholly consistent with its sustainability ambitions and a waste neutral strategy was developed. A new phase of development is now being undertaken and the Waste Neutral Strategy is central to the procurement process. This paper presents a case study of waste minimisation and material reuse at the Eden Project, including the management of construction waste, setting out the experience of the Eden Project and McAlpine Joint Venture, the contractor for the design-and-build contracts under which all phases of development have been procured.