Gypsum in waste streams has long been one of the UK waste industry’s biggest compliance headaches and potential causes of harm. This was a major talking point at a recent TCMF group session, where solicitor Craig Burman warned that the Environment Agency (EA) is stepping up checks on gypsum-bearing waste. Operators across the country are seeing a sharper focus from EA officers, who are requiring sites to demonstrate that they have procedures in place to keep gypsum properly segregated and stored. This is all part of a wider clampdown on waste misclassification and landfill tax abuse.
Why is gypsum a problem? Gypsum (found in plasterboard and other building products) can cause serious harm if landfilled with biodegradable waste. When it breaks down without oxygen, it can produce hydrogen sulphide, a foul smelling, toxic gas that is harmful to both the environment and human health. Due to this risk, plasterboard and other gypsum waste should be properly and responsibly recycled whenever possible.
One positive example of gypsum recycling comes from Roy Hatfield, a family-owned business founded in 1971 in Sheffield. They were one of the UK’s first plasterboard recyclers in the 1990s and now process over 100,000 tonnes a year at their award-winning Rotherham plant. Using a patented system, they separate and recover gypsum, allowing it to be reused in the manufacture of new plasterboard. This reduces the need for mining new gypsum and keeps the material out of landfill, moving waste up the hierarchy.
Roy Hatfield also helped create the PAS 109 quality protocol with Defra, the EA, and BSI, making sure recycled gypsum is treated as a quality product, not waste.
Commodity Manager Gareth Davies sums it up: “Our approach is simple: keep gypsum in the loop, out of landfill, and make sure it’s a reliable product manufacturers can trust.”
Operators should spend some time to focus on gypsum controls and ensure the following:
- Embed gypsum controls in your EMS: Review your environmental management system and waste acceptance procedures to explicitly address gypsum. Document how you identify and segregate (or reject) gypsum-bearing loads.
- Train staff on identification: Educate staff to recognise gypsum containing materials (e.g. plasterboard, drywall, gypsum blocks) and understand your site’s requirements for that particular material.
- Audit and improve practices: Proactively audit your incoming waste and stockpiles for any gypsum content. Ensure that quarantine areas are established for suspect materials while awaiting test results, and that all findings are accurately recorded.
- Engage your supply chain: Communication is key. Inform suppliers, skip hire customers and demolition contractors that you cannot accept plasterboard or gypsum mixed in general waste. Please encourage them to source separate plasterboard on sites (or provide dedicated skips) to avoid load rejections. By pushing compliance upstream, you reduce your own risk of receiving a contaminated load. Likewise, line up reputable outlets for any gypsum waste you do receive.
The bottom line with gypsum is that it is well and truly on the EA’s radar, and, quite rightly, the regulators are looking at the correct storage and segregation of gypsum at recycling facilities. By taking gypsum seriously, operators can stay compliant, avoid harming health and the environment, and help build a more sustainable industry.
