A builder from Merseyside has launched a project that aims to remove plastic from the British construction industry within two decades.

Neal Maxwell, who has worked in the trade for more than 30 years, co-founded the non-profit organisation Changing Streams after a trip to the Arctic.

Appalled by the levels of plastic pollutants in the Arctic Ocean and the often-lethal impact on animals in the polar region, Maxwell and researchers from the University of Liverpool have drawn up a programme that they say could make construction plastic-free by 2040.

The sector is the second largest producer of plastic waste in the UK, after packaging. It is estimated the building trade generates 50,000 tonnes of plastic waste each year.

Along with the architect Dr Gareth Abrahams from the university’s School of Environmental Science, Maxwell has drafted a charter that they hope could become legally binding.

The programme for the construction indusry includes:

• the phasing out of paint containing plastic;
• the establishment of a “traffic light” guide to warn which paints contain plastic to dissuade DIY consumers from buying them;
• the creation of a template house made without plastic;
• the end of the use of plastic wrapping for building materials such as bricks and cladding.

Maxwell co-founded Changing Streams in 2018 after he and his wife toured the Arctic on a scientific exploration ship. He said: “On board were 20 scientific specialists from all around the world who helped us understand about the environment and the impact global warming and plastic pollution was having.

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