Sorting at source: transforming constraints into performance levers in the construction of individual houses

In the construction industry, and more specifically in the construction of individual homes, companies must deal with an increasingly complex equation: containing their costs, meeting demanding regulations and meeting the environmental challenge.

Too often, construction waste management is perceived as an incompressible burden, endured rather than managed. However, experience shows that there is another way: making sorting at source a real economic and operational lever.

Recent feedback from the single-family home sector speaks volumes. Even though the market has experienced a marked slowdown, those who have implemented systematic waste sorting from the outset have managed to maintain high recovery rates, averaging between 60% and 70%. This demonstrates a reality: sorting at source is not dependent on economic cycles. It is a sustainable, reproducible, and resilient process. A builder like Mikit, for example, who has been committed to this approach for several years, illustrates this observation well. Despite a decline in activity, the stability of recovery rates confirms the system's robustness. More broadly, the entire sector can draw inspiration from this practice to withstand economic uncertainties.

One of the most concrete angles is economic. Industrial waste, this common, heterogeneous, and unsorted industrial waste, remains the most expensive stream to process. Conversely, separating streams directly on-site allows for:

to direct wood, metals, plaster, cardboard or plastics towards specialized and less expensive channels,
to mechanically reduce the volumes of DIB and therefore the associated invoices,
to limit the rotation of skips or bags, by adapting collections to the actual pace of the worksite.

The impact is measurable: a tradesperson who spends time each week disposing of their waste at the recycling center represents a net loss of productivity. Outsourcing and streamlining this management allows for the return of useful time to teams, while improving overall efficiency.

A regulatory requirement that has become a commercial asset

Since the Anti-Waste Law for a Circular Economy (AGEC) and the implementation of the PMCB REP in 2023, sorting construction site waste has gone from being a good practice to an obligation with legal responsibilities. Having clear traceability, tracking slips, weighing, and consolidated reporting is therefore essential.

But beyond compliance, this transparency is a competitive advantage. Individual customers see cleaner, better-organized construction sites on the ground, and construction networks see it as a sign of professionalism. The quality of waste management thus becomes a factor in reputation and customer loyalty.

Field lessons: simplicity and consistency

Five years of shared feedback in the individual house have revealed some golden rules:

Simplicity is key: one container, one sign, one material. The more legible the instructions, the more the sorting process is respected.
Consistency matters: training once is not enough. Regular reminders on site or at site meetings maintain rigor.
Data-driven management is a game-changer: analyzing the distribution of flows makes it possible to identify weak points and target corrective actions.
The organization of collections is strategic: timing the passages at key stages avoids unnecessary rotations and costs.

Towards a new construction site model

Ultimately, source separation goes beyond a regulatory response. It's part of a new way of thinking about construction sites: cleaner, more efficient, and more respectful of all stakeholders. In a sector where margins are under pressure and societal expectations regarding the environment are growing, this practice is becoming a guarantee of competitiveness and credibility.

The single-family home provides a concrete demonstration of this. On a large scale, it is possible to combine savings, traceability, and a positive impact. In the future, extending this exemplary approach to the rest of the construction industry could mark a turning point: recycling no longer means "disposing differently," but rather "building differently."

Tribune by David Cararon, Director of the Ostreya BigBag Network (LinkedIn).