Newton Waterproofing Systems are used to introducing revolutionary schemes to the UK waterproofing industry. From manufacturing the first cavity drain membranes to creating the first approved specialist contractor scheme, the company has directly introduced numerous advancements that have changed the face of UK waterproofing. The latest of these, launched on Wednesday 27th September 2017, is a double-hit of sustainability innovations; the Newton Membrane Recycling Service is the industry’s very first scheme for collecting and recycling the offcuts produced during the installation of cavity drainage membranes; and Newton 508 eco Floor and 520 eco are the first cavity drain membranes in the UK to be manufactured from 100% recycled material and still carry full certification from the British Board of Agrément.
The Newton Membrane Recycling Service
Cavity drainage membranes are designed to last for the lifetime of the building in which they are installed, however every year the UK waterproofing industry sends hundreds of tonnes of unusable off-cuts of these membranes to landfill, as there was previously no service capable of collecting and recycling the material. As a direct response to this situation Newton Waterproofing has developed the Newton Membrane Recycling Service.
Available through Newton Specialist Basement Contractors, the service collects waste membrane on delivery backloads and processes it at Newton’s Kent headquarters, before sending it for recycling with Biffa Polymers, where it is prepared for manufacturing into new products for the construction industry, therefore achieving a ‘closed-loop’ recycling process.
“Environmental issues are increasingly in the spotlight. The plastic and construction industries are under more pressure than ever before to do the right thing in terms of the environment. This innovative new service from Newton provides lots of businesses with the chance to recycle their plastics, and actually it’s a game-changing service that will allow a transparent and certifiable option to recycle their plastic membranes.” Stuart Foster, Chief Executive Officer, RECOUP
Importantly, by working with organisations such as RECOUP and Biffa, the Newton Membrane Recycling Service is entirely traceable, meaning that Newton can track where all of the recycling material is coming from and produce reports that all participating specifiers, contractors and developers can use to ensure they are fulfilling their corporate social responsibility.
“When we’re looking to deliver a building we’re trying to make it as sustainable and energy efficient as we possibly can. These elements that you don’t necessarily think about being environmental factors; the lifecycle of the products and how that contributes to the whole process, if you’ve got two products that are comparable and if one of them has got a recycling scheme like the Newton scheme, then obviously it’s a bit of a no-brainer.” Matthew Edwards, Associate Director, HGP Architects
Newton’s new recycling video also goes into more detail about the groundbreaking new service.
508 eco Floor and 520 eco
Accompanying the recycling service is also the UK waterproofing industry’s first two cavity drain membranes that are not only manufactured from 100% recycled material, but are also technically supported by full BBA certification. The membrane design of Newton 508 eco Floor is also new and innovative, with a diagonal stud design that gives a greater number of studs per m2 and results in a higher compressive resistance and less loading to the substrate to which it is applied.
When paired with the Newton Membrane Recycling Service, these two new membranes mean that specifiers are now able to ensure that not only is all membrane waste from their projects being responsibly recycled, but also that even the membrane being installed in the first place is coming from a responsible and sustainable source.
