DIY and house renovations can be a messy affair. Seemingly endless layers of dust cover every surface, dirt is being traipsed in and out, and paint brushes and rollers need constant cleaning. It’s a challenge to keep on top of. Now, imagine that on a construction site scale. Building sites generate huge volumes of waste that is very visible and needs to be disposed of responsibly. However, there is an element of waste that is often to be overlooked. It’s simply washed away.
Trades on construction sites, painters, plasterers, bricklayers, etc., all need to wash their tools. Clean tools are essential for maintaining their effectiveness and providing a high-quality finish. Daily tool washing is a project-critical activity. However, the process used on sites typically involves washing the tools and tipping the water away. This process uses vast amounts of water – 1,000 litres a day. It also generates huge volumes of liquid trade waste. Unfortunately, much of this liquid waste which contains paint, plaster, sand and cement, is emptied into sewers and into the environment.
If you find the scale of the waste shocking, you’re not alone. And, you might rightly have thought that industry regulation would keep pollution in check. This does seem to be the case more often with solid waste, but correct liquid waste disposal is not as stringently checked or enforced. Unfortunately, many organisations don’t comply with the regulations without external pressure.
A response was needed to this widespread problem in the construction industry. Introducing Washbox.
WashBox is a sustainable closed-loop equipment wash station that uses clever technology to sustainably wash tools and equipment on-site, quickly and easily.
Washbox provides an alternative to the traditional methods that consume water and pollute the environment. Washbox has been designed, developed and evolved to align with the demands of working on a construction site.
How does WashBox work?
The WashBox is a clever piece of kit. It is fully self-contained and has its own water supply, which means no plumbing connections are required. Washbox eliminates the need for temporary plumbing to be fitted – which often uses drinking water – saving water as well increasing productivity on site. It also removes the risk of plumbing becoming damaged or blocked, which can be expensive to fix.
The washing area recycles the water used in the process and captures the waste that is generated in its filter system. The process not only saves water but completely eliminates liquid waste pollution. In fact, swapping to a Washbox saves a colossal 98% of the water usually used by trades. The waste collected is then turned into solid waste which most sites are better equipped to dispose of.
The evolution of the Washbox
The Washbox product has been developed and has evolved over time to improve not only sustainability but also productivity on-site. Here are some of the key features of the latest units.
Fully automated, making it quick and easy to use
Mobile units that only require one person to move them
Compact units to cater for smaller sites with tight spaces
Washbox uses a hire business model where they provide maintenance and servicing of the units to keep them operating efficiently. The hire price point is set at an affordable £300 per week per unit.
Washbox has been celebrated for its innovation and has won many awards, such as the ASBP Product Award at the Alliance for Sustainable Building Product Awards in 2024, named as a global Top Innovator in the UpLink - World Economic Forum's Urban Sustainability Challenge, winner in the Ocean Impact Organisation's INNOVOCEAN 2023, and was among the Top 10 Green Building Products chosen by BuildingGreen, Inc.
And, the data from Washbox is impressive:
Washbox has been used on over 450 construction and fit-out projects globally
The use of Washbox has stopped 20 million litres of polluted wastewater going into sewers
More than 1,440 tonnes of construction solids have been captured and disposed of responsibly
However, despite the simple, effective and cost-effective product, uptake has been slow. Although the benefits seem obvious from an environmental standpoint, driving awareness and changing behaviour within the industry have been a tougher challenge to solve.
Washbox has needed to innovate in terms of the product and also how it goes to market.
Working with, not against, the industry
'Build it and they will come'. Or not. Or at least not very quickly.
In interviews, CEO Andrew Crimston highlights some issues within the industry that he believes are barriers to the uptake of using Washbox.
Lack of awareness is often the first hurdle
There is a disconnect between the actions on site and the understanding of the impact they have on the environment. For example, paint is washed away without the knowledge that it is now the largest contributor to microplastics in the ocean. Solutions haven’t been abundant in the sector either, which may lead to some simply not knowing that there is a more sustainable alternative available.
Washbox works hard to educate and raise awareness in the sector. Earlier this year Washbox launched a global partnership with Water.org as part of its mission to promote sustainability within the sector.
“Our goal is to inspire world builders everywhere, to enable them to be the stewards of their own environmental impact and drive better project outcomes for the community as a whole.”
Andrew Crimston
Promoting sustainability in the construction phase
There is a continued increased focus and emphasis on the sustainability of final buildings. Many buildings are designed to use more sustainable materials and to be more energy efficient. But, the construction phase doesn’t always get the same scrutiny. Particularly for liquid waste, there is a lack of compliance enforcement for and a need for stricter regulations.
Washbox has been developed to adhere to all existing regulations and environmental safety rules, making it easy for construction firms to be compliant.
Filtering the message down to individual sites
Sites are often run independently, so changing hearts and minds at the head office level can be helpful, but more needs to be done to filter this down to those running the sites.
Washbox is capitalising on the movement within the industry to create an army of advocates on a global scale. The brand champions are helping to spread the word about the problem and the Washbox solution.
Operating with tight margins
Despite the often colossal budgets, margins are tight. The comparatively low cost of hiring a Washbox unit is still viewed as an additional cost to an issue that has historically been just washed away.
Washbox provides stats and evidence to demonstrate the savings that can be made by switching to a Washbox solution. This includes increases in productivity when using the portable system. Users save time as they no longer need to create a wash zone and set up plumbing. They can also move the Washbox easily to where it is most needed reducing the need to go back and forth to continually wash tools.
Washbox is making positive strides in the industry thanks to its innovative mindset – not just in terms of product development but in its go-to-market approach. Washbox is determined to educate and change behaviour to improve sustainability and productivity on construction sites.
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