Construction projects scoop multiple awards for waste reduction and recycling

A range of sustainability initiatives in the construction and infrastructure field wiped the table at the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management’s (CIWM) Sustainability & Resource Industry Awards 2016 yesterday. The winners were announced at an awards lunch at the London Marriot Grosvenor Square, hosted by impressionist, actor and environmentalist Alistair McGowan.

Building on the construction industry’s already strong resource efficiency credentials, the Hills Waste Solutions Best Recycling Project Award went to Network Rail for its £60 million refurbishment and upgrade of the Glasgow Queen Street Tunnel. This project saw the Scot Rail Network Rail Alliance renew 4,000m of track and 1,800m of slab track, with 7,000t of hazardous spoil and 12,000t of concrete recycled in a four week period. The project achieved 100% diversion from landfill and retained 19,000t of material that would otherwise have been disposed of externally. In using its existing supply chain, waste was taken away from site by rail, which contributed to the whole project being completed early.

WRAP’s Best Reuse & Waste Prevention Project Award, meanwhile, went to Costain Skanska for the JV C412 Bond Street Station (Crossrail) project. Comprising the construction and fitout of two ticket halls and connecting running tunnels as part of the £14.8bn Crossrail project, the work generated over 53,500m3 of material during the excavation phases and over 5,800m3 of construction waste. Targets were set for the minimisation of onsite wastage: at least 90% recycling of all construction waste with a stretch target of 95%, and 95% diversion of clean spoil from landfill with a stretch target of 100%. Recycling, reuse and sharing solutions for a range of other waste streams have also been prioritised, including pile sections, wood, polystyrene, and PPE.

Multiplex Construction Europe Ltd is the principal contractor for the Verde SW1 development in Victoria, London, for its client Tishman Speyer and is this year’s winner of the National Federation of Demolition Contractor’s Most Sustainable Construction & Demolition Project Award. The project is the refurbishment of Eland House to provide 29,458m2 of high quality offices and involved keeping the main building structure (thus preventing demolition waste) and removing the glazing façade and metal mast at the highest point of the building. A firm that could recycle the laminated glass from the façade was used during the demolition, leading to more than 340t of glass being successfully reprocessed into new glass, and the metal mast was also recycled. To date, the project is performing beyond the overall targets set, diverting 98.8% of demolition waste and 97.6% of construction waste by volume from landfill. In addition only 2.26 m3 of waste per 100m2 has been generated, far below the target of 9.2 m³/100m².

Finally, celebrating the industry’s strong growth, The Catalyst Corporate Finance Waste and Resources Fast 50 Award identifies and ranks the 50 fastest-growing private businesses in the waste and resources sector by revenue growth, and occupying the top spot this year is Mick George Ltd. Experts in bulk soil disposal, aggregate supply and waste management, the company recycles over 90% of the waste it collects and diverts 100% from landfill.

“These are exemplar projects and it is encouraging to see how UK infrastructure and construction companies are continuing to make great strides in introducing more sustainable waste management practices and resource efficiency improvements,” said CIWM’s chief executive Dr Colin Church.