FAQs

What types of business can use the SMARTWaste products?

SMARTWaste products are used by local government and construction, demolition and industrial businesses.

What are the major benefits of using SMARTWaste?

There are both economic and environmental benefits. Our customers have seen significant financial benefits. These include reduced landfill tax and reduced haulage and disposal costs. There are many obvious benefits to the environment and corporate social responsibility in any organisation committing to environmental and waste targets and monitoring their improvement over time.

What is SMARTWaste Plan?

SMARTWaste Plan is a free tool designed by BRE to help the construction industry comply with the Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) Regulations. It is an online SWMP and waste measurement tool that enables you to store and report each project's waste data and SWMP information via a company SMARTWaste Plan account.

How do I get a SMARTWaste Plan account?

SMARTWaste Plan is free to register to use. You will need to register to set up your account on our website. Go to the main website at www.smartwaste.co.uk, click on the SMARTWaste Plan logo to get to the login page. Click where it says register as a new user. Fill in some basic details about your company and set yourself up with a company admin username and password (remember this as you will need it to login in the future).

Your account will then be created and you will be taken to your company homepage, you are now ready to start using your account. The ‘Getting Started' leaflet may give you a few useful tips in what to do next; you can find the leaflet on the login page.

I have set up two accounts for my company, how can I delete one?

We recommend that companies have only one account on SMARTWaste Plan to avoid confusion if you call us for assistance. If you wish to have separate accounts for different regional offices, we recommend that you identify this some way in the name of the account.

If you realise that you have more than one account set up on the system and would like one removed, please contact the SMARTWaste team at BRE (smartwaste@bre.co.uk) who will be able to arrange this for you. If you have projects on the account to be deleted that you wish to be moved to your other account, we can arrange this for you.

I have forgotten my username and password, what should I do?

If you have forgotten your username and/or password, please contact the SMARTWaste team at BRE (smartwaste@bre.co.uk). The team will ask you to clarify a number of items for security purposes before they can give you your log on details. Please have to hand as much of the following information as possible:
• Account name (usually the company name)
• Your company address
• Any part of your username or password that you think you can remember
• Your e-mail address
• Your telephone number

Where can I find out more about the Site Waste Management Plan Regulations?

The Site Waste Management Plan Regulations 2008 came into force on 6 April 2008 making Site waste management plans (SWMPs) compulsory for all construction projects in England costing over £300,000. A SWMP records the amount and type of waste produced on a construction site and how it will be reused, recycled, recovered or disposed.

You can download the regulations, non-statutory guidance on the regulations, a list of questions and answers on the regulations from the Defra website:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/topics/construction/index.htm#swmp

BRE hold regular training events on SWMPs and SMARTWaste Plan, visit the BRE website to find out when the next event is being held http://www.bre.co.uk/events.jsp

How do I add a new project, I can't see the ‘add new project' button?

Only company admin users can add projects on your account. If your user permission level is not a company admin you will have to contact the company admin for your company to set up the project for you.

Company admin users will be able to view an ‘add new project' button on the company homepage. Clicking on the button will bring up a form to complete with details about the new project, allowing the project to be created.

When filling out the add new project form, it won't let me save it, a box appears saying ‘project value must contain a number'. Why does it ask this when I have entered a value in the project cost field?

The project cost field can only contain a number. If you have entered any punctuation such as commas and £ sign, please remove these and try saving again; it should then go through ok.

My project records waste in volume, how can I change it to record waste in tonnes? (or vice versa)

When setting up the project, you choose whether you want to record waste data in volume or tonnes. Once you have made this choice, you can't change it yourself. If you would like to change the way in which waste is recorded on your project, you will need to contact the SMARTWaste team at BRE (smartwaste@bre.co.uk). However, please be aware that we can only change a project from volume to tonnes (or vice versa) if no data has yet been added to your project.

How can I delete a project from my account?

If you wish to delete a project from your account, for example, maybe you set one up to use as a test project when practicing using the tool, please contact the SMARTWaste team at BRE (smartwaste@bre.co.uk) who will be able to arrange this for you.

I have added a new user, why can't they access their project?

Additional users have to be added at the company level first. Once they have been added, you will need to give them access to the projects they will be working on.

To do this, from the company homepage click on the project name you wish to assign the user to. This will take you to the project homepage. Once here, scroll down the page to the green bar that says users and click on the update button. This will bring up a list of all the users on your account, select the users you want to assign to the project by ticking the box next to their name and clicking update. This will mean the selected users will now be able to log on with the username and password you created for them and view the project.

Why doesn't my subcontractor appear in the drop down list on the add waste data page or within my SWMP?

Subcontractors have to be added at the company level first. Once they have been added, you will need to assign them to the relevant projects. Completing the assignment will mean that the subcontractor name will appear in drop down lists on the add waste data page and also within your SWMP.

To assign subcontractors to your projects, from the company homepage click on the project name you wish to assign the subcontractor to. This will take you to the project homepage. Once here, scroll down the page to the green bar that says subcontractor and click on the update button. This will bring up a list of all the subcontractors on your account, select the subcontractor you want to assign to the project by ticking the box next to their name and clicking update. This will mean the selected subcontractor will now appear in the relevant drop down boxes on the add waste data page or within your SWMP.

Why doesn't my waste carrier/destination appear in the drop down list on the "Add waste data" page or within my SWMP?

Waste management contractors, carriers and destinations (waste sites e.g. transfer station) have to be added at the company level first. Once they have been added, you will need to assign them to the relevant projects. Completing the assignment will mean that the waste management contractors, carriers and destination names will appear in drop down lists on the add waste data page and also within your SWMP.

To assign these to your projects, from the company homepage click on the project name you wish to assign the waste contractor to. This will take you to the project homepage. Once here, scroll down the page to the green bar that says waste management contractors and click on the update button. This will bring up a list of all the waste management contractors/carriers on your account and their waste sites (destinations) as a bullet point below. Select ones that you want to assign to the project by ticking the box next to their name and clicking update. This will mean the selected waste carrier/destination will now appear in the relevant drop down boxes on the add waste data page or within your SWMP.

I have entered data incorrectly on the add waste data page, how can I change/amend it?

Company admin users can amend data filled in on the add waste data page. To do this, go to the waste data log for the relevant project. The waste data log shows a record of each of the waste movements for that project, listed by the date the waste left site. To amend the details of a record, click on the date on the log. This will open up the original waste data form you filled in. Make the necessary changes and click on the add button. This will save your changes and take you back to the waste data log so that you can review the amendment and continue.

I have set up a waste management contractor twice, how can I remove one?

If you notice that you have set up the same waste management contractor more than once, please check to confirm which of the additional waste contractor entries you wish to remove. Please then contact the SMARTWaste team at BRE (smartwaste@bre.co.uk) to arrange for the removal of the relevant waste management contractors. The team will have to check that the contractor has not been linked up to any waste arisings before removal can take place. This will ensure that your data is not affected.

How can I enter recycling rates given to me by my waste contractor?

Waste management contractors/carriers and their waste sites (destinations e.g. transfer station) have to be added at the company level first. Once the waste site has been added underneath a waste contractor, you can enter a recycling rate for that waste site. This can be added overall for the waste site or by waste type, over a certain time period.

To do this, from the company menu button in the grey toolbar at the top of the page, select waste management contractors from the drop down list. This will take you to your listing of waste management contractors. Press the edit button next to the relevant contractor to get through to their page. You will see a section where the waste sites are listed for that contractor. To the right of the relevant waste site name is an ‘add recycling rate' button, click this to fill in the overall recycling rate for that waste site for a particular time period. Once the overall rate has been entered, you can add recycling rates for specific waste streams if you wish.

Please be careful to make sure you do not enter recycling rates which overlap for the same period more than once. If you do this, both recycling rates will be applied to any waste data entered for those periods meaning information will be double counted and your records for total recycled waste will be incorrect, and may even go over 100%. If you notice that you have entered rates for the same period, please contact the SMARTWaste team (smartwaste@bre.co.uk) to arrange for one entry to be removed.

How do I get the recycling rates from my waste contractor to link up to my mixed skip on the add waste data page?

On the add waste data form, make sure you select the correct waste destination (waste site) for which you have entered the recycling rate. Ensure that you select recovery offsite as the waste management route. Enter all the other details as normal and click add. Your recycling rate will be applied to that skip because you have selected recovery offsite and the relevant waste destination.

How can I get a print out of my SWMP from SMARTWaste Plan?

Once at the relevant project's homepage, go to the SWMP area by clicking on the SWMP tab or select SWMP from the ‘project home' button in the grey toolbar at the top of the page. This will take you to the SWMP home page which shows you a summary checklist of the stages of the SWMP you have completed. Underneath the checklist you will see a ‘print your SWMP' button, click this to pull the data from all of your 9 SWMP tabs together into one document that can be printed or saved as a html document. 

Do you have a question for us?

Please contact the SMARTWaste team at BRE: e-mail smartwaste@bre.co.uk or call 01923 664471