Construction and Demolition Waste Module Week 5 Site Visit to Barna Waste

Today, we undertook a very informative site visit to the Barna Waste Waste Transfer Facility. Barna Waste has a waste license to accept household, construction and demolition, commercial, industrial non-hazardous and biodegradable waste.The visit included a tour of the composting facility, timber recycling area, household and commercial recycling areas including the manual picking station.

Composting - initial stages

 Composting - processing of materials

 Composting - screened material

 

The photographs above do not show the full composting process but give an indication of the initial stages. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) have produced an information paper in 2005 entitled  'Composting in the Construction Industry' and this is available in the Info4Education database that is available in the library.

We also had a look at the timber recycling area where Campbell discussed their approach to processing this material and the markets that are currently available.

 

Below is a photograph of the separated timber pallet pile after processing.

 

WRAP have extensive information on the waste management of timber and wood waste on their

website. The BRE also produced an information paper on the 'Best Practice in Timber Waste Management', again available in the Info4Education database that is available in the library. 

Many thanks to Campbell (cfinnie@barnawaste.com) and the lads for a great tour!!

Construction and Demolition Waste Module Week 4 Mind Mapping

As part of yesterday's class, we decided to mind map solutions to inform the development of a comprehensive site waste management plan for the selected case study. Here are some of the results:

Obviously the final one is the best from an educational and artistic point of view (as I did it!...joking of course). I think the use of mind mapping helps to visualise all the diverse (yet interrelated) elements in developing a site specific site waste management plan. We then shared each others thoughts as I put the 'maps' on display so that we could get a bit of peer interaction going. 

 

 Next week (week 5) we are visiting the Barna Waste Facility to look at waste treatment options and to see how a waste/recycling facility operates, so we are all looking forward to that. 

Construction and Demolition Waste Module Week 4 Post-Lecture Resources

Following on from today's discussions, have a look at these case studies, which have implemented site waste management plans:

• Alloa and Alva Secondary School
• Kendrick Girls Grammar School
• Bridge Learning Campus

The Cardiff City Centre development achieved 98% (!) recycling. Check out here how it was done. Due to the nature of the case study selected for the project, a clear logistical analysis needs to be undertaken. Some examples of case studies that have used this approach include: a large commercial project; a railway project; and the use of construction consolidation centres.

Construction and Demolition Waste Module Week 4 Post-Lecture Resources

Here are the Prezi version of the lecture notes from today's discussion.

Construction and Demolition Waste Module Week 4 Pre-Lecture Resources

This week, we are going to explore the different aspects of the pre-demolition audit arising from our site visit last week. This will involve a mind-mapping exercise where we will investigate all the possible alternatives available to us in drafting up the pre-demolition audit of the selected case study and establishing a framework for the pre-construction construction and demolition waste management plan. Take a look at this useful paper by Hurley (2003), where he discusses the application and value of carrying out pre-demolition audits. Here is an introductory video on the basics of mind-mapping.

Construction and Demolition Waste Module Week 3 Post-Lecture Resources

Following our site visit this morning, it is important to consider the different components of the site assessment. The Demolition: Implementing Best Practice document published by AggRegain and WRAP in the UK sets out a demolition example to include the: pre-demolition audit; demolition site layout plan; material recovery strategy; health, safety and environmental considerations; training requirements and risk management. This document and the Demolition Protocol published by the Institute of Civil Engineers in the UK provides an excellent starting point to develop your pre-demolition audit and pre-construction site waste management plan. Two case studies which may be of interest are the Help Nightclub in Rio de Janeiro and the Wembley Development. To identify potential waste treatment options, you will need to identify what waste management companies are licensed to manage and treat the different waste fractions that will occur on site by accessing the EPA database.

Construction and Demolition Waste Module Week 3 Pre-Lecture Resources

Prior to our site visit on Wednesday, I would like you to have a look at the following guidance documents available on the preparation of site waste management plans:

• Best Practice Guidelines on the Preparation of Site Waste Management Plans for Construction and Demolition Projects published by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in 2006.
• Site Waste Management Plans: Guidance for Contractors and Clients published by the Department of Trade and Industry in the UK in 2004.
• UK NetRegs guidance document Site Waste - It's Criminal.

As part of the site visit, we will be investigating appropriate demolition strategies for two existing buildings on site. The Demolition Protocol 2008 is a very useful document published by Institute of Civil Engineers. 

Construction and Demolition Waste Module Week 2

This week we examined construction waste production from an international, European and national perspective. The methodologies used in the Environmental Protection Agency's National Waste Reports were analysed in detail to provide some insight to the data collection approaches behind the national figures. Next week, we are undertaking a site visit to a selected case study, which will act as the basis for the development of detailed construction and demolition waste management plans.