WINNER – THE REBUILD SITE

Sponsored by Cartmell Shepherd

The Rebuild Site CIC, on Kingmoor Park, Carlisle, was set up to reduce waste in the construction industry through collecting unused building materials from construction sites and redistributing them.  

One of the driving forces behind the project is Emma Porter, already well-known in the county as managing director of Story Contracting’s construction division and chair of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership’s construction sector panel.

Emma said that when she entered the awards the company had diverted more than 100 tonnes of building materials from ending up in a skip and supported 30 community organisations and charities in its first year. “Things have moved on,” she told the crowd at the Halston. “Now it’s 600 tons of carbon saved. We are moving fast and looking for a site in West Cumbria and also talking about doing one in Wolverhampton too.”

Emma said while some of the solutions to making construction more sustainable will come via new technology - such as clean power sources for machinery or sustainable building materials - there was also a need for a shift to a more circular economy within the sector.  

Contractors tend to over-order some materials for building jobs to ensure they do not run out. At the conclusion of a job these perfectly usable excess materials are often put in skips and thrown away.  

While 13 per cent of building materials go straight to landfill without being used, others may be down cycled, for example into fuel for biomass. 

The Rebuild Site provides a place where excess, unused materials from construction sites can be sold at a reduced price to other operators or individuals.  

At the same time, products are donated to community projects, for example, for use in gardening, crafting and repair projects. In its first year more than 3,000 people have benefited from material donations.

When it was launched, Emma said: "The big thing we're doing is we're just testing out and providing proof of concept of one of those building blocks that would need to happen for a true circular economy to function in the industry. It's a fairly simple idea, but what we're trying to achieve is quite ambitious.” 

As Emma told the audience at the awards, the business is now planning a second site on the West Coast of Cumbria and developing a consultancy to support other organisations and councils with setting up their own construction materials hub.

It  has a vision for a UK-wide network of Rebuild Sites.

Watch this space!

Carol O'Donoghue, director at sponsors Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, said: "The quality and range of businesses represented by the in-Cumbria Awards just gets better and better every year.

"The finalists in the New Business of the Year category are all excellent examples of the innovation, drive and hard work it takes to launch and operate a successful new business.

"We are absolutely delighted for The Rebuild Site, which was deservedly named New Business of the Year. This Community Interest Company is changing the way we think about and use waste materials from construction sites while making a positive impact on community groups and charities.

"Congratulations to The Rebuild Site. which we are sure will continue to go from strength to strength."

RUNNERS UP

Fisher Financial Associates 

Laik