Plasterboard manufacturers in Great Britain have today signed up to a trailblazing agreement that is set to bring a significant reduction in the amount of waste plasterboard sent to landfill.

The voluntary agreement was initiated and brokered by the Gypsum Products Development Association (GPDA) which, in Great Britain, represents Knauf Drywall, British Gypsum and Lafarge Plasterboard.

The GPDA approached Defra last year with an outline proposal and has since been working with WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and the government-funded Market Transformation Programme to define the targets to which the industry will work.

Formalised within the Ashdown Agreement signed today, the targets are:

to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfill from manufacturing operations in Great Britain to 10,000 tonnes/year by 2010; and to increase the take back and recycling of plasterboard waste, for use in plasterboard manufacture, to 50% of new construction waste arisings by 2010.

In addition, all parties have agreed to work with other parts of the supply chain to develop processes to reduce the amount of wastage generated in new construction and to make further progress towards achieving the ultimate objective of zero plasterboard waste to landfill.

Ben Bradshaw, Minister of State for Local Environment for Defra, welcomed the agreement. He said: “Reducing the waste we produce, reusing what we can, and recycling as much as possible of what’s left are all essential if we are to cut the amount of waste we send to landfill. “This agreement represents an important step forward for the construction sector and it is particularly encouraging that it has been achieved on a voluntary basis. I hope the example it sets will be recognised by other parts of the industry and that sector-wide agreement can be secured.”

Ross Finnie, Minister for the Environment and Rural Development for the Scottish Executive, said: “I welcome this agreement to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. This is in line with our Scottish Business Waste Framework which highlights the role voluntary agreements can play in sustainable waste management.”

Environment Minister for the Welsh Assembly, Carwyn Jones, welcomed the agreement. He said: “It is essential that we recycle and reuse as much as possible to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill. “This agreement is a big step forward for the construction sector and I am particularly encouraged that it has been achieved on a voluntary basis. It is a great example to set for the construction industry as a whole, and I hope that it will lead to a further, sector-wide agreement in future.”

Crispin Dunn-Meynell of the GPDA explains: “Much has already been achieved by plasterboard manufacturers and construction contractors in Great Britain, both in terms both of recycling manufacturing process waste and waste from construction sites. This new initiative sets tough but achievable targets for the future and, critically, has broad government support. “We will now be working further with WRAP, the Market Transformation Programme and other parts of the drywall industry to develop similar agreements with distributors and contractors.”

Ian Wardle, Construction Programme Manager for Materials Recycling at WRAP, adds: “The Ashdown Agreement is important not just because of the impact on waste reduction but because it is a voluntary initiative. Plasterboard is an increasingly popular product; approximately 2.5 million tonnes were used in construction in 2006, and some 300,000 tonnes of plasterboard waste was generated. It is essential that we find effective ways of reducing and recycling this waste.”