More than four in five (83%) UK tradespeople say they could recycle more of their work waste, but don’t because they aren’t confident on the rules and regulations, new research has found.  The study by IronmongeryDirect, the found that almost nine in ten (87%) tradespeople feel uncertain about waste management laws. In fact, the vast majority (80%) of workers don’t know where their local recycling facilities are located.

However, the same survey suggests that there is a strong appetite to address the issue. Almost a quarter (24%) of tradespeople say they are actively trying to reduce the amount of excess they send to landfill, and a similar number (28%) would like more support from local authorities to be able to recycle more. Furthermore, a fifth (20%) try to reuse any materials leftover from jobs and almost one in six (16%) donate spare parts to good causes.

Plumbers recycle the most often, with almost three-quarters (73%) saying they do so either always or most of the time, while young tradespeople are far more likely to send waste to landfill than their older counterparts. Almost a third (31%) of millennials (25-34s) say their excess materials go straight to the tip, which is more than double the figure for 45-55-year-olds and over 55s (both 12%).

Dominick Sandford, MD at IronmongeryDirect, comments: “Tradespeople are naturally going to produce waste in their line of work, and while more could be recycled, it’s clear that there’s a real willingness to be as green as possible. The figures around young workers in particular point to a clear opportunity to educate and train the next generation of tradespeople in more sustainable practices.

“That’s why we’ve partnered with waste management experts to explain the rules tradespeople need to follow and give advice on how to dispose of each material.”

For expert advice on how to dispose of different materials, visit: www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/blog/work-waste