Major construction waste measurement project

BRE has started work on the United Kingdom's largest ever construction waste measurement project.

BRE has started work on the United Kingdom's largest ever construction waste measurement project.

Funded by the U.K.'s environment department Defra, the project will measure waste in systematic way from a variety of construction, refurbishment and demolition sites across the country.

The project team at the Building Research Establishment is looking for companies undertaking new build, demolition or refurbishment contracts willing to take part in this measurement exercise, with the assurance that the reporting they are asked to do will be kept to a minimum.

The data collected will enable the industry to understand the causes of waste and to predict the amounts of waste arising from the jobs in which they are engaged.

The project is intended to produce reliable key performance indicators and benchmarks for waste recovery.

BRE says that the information gathered on the composition and quantity of waste being generated by the industry will be a powerful tool for setting reduction targets and planning for reprocessing and recovery facilities.

More information at 01923 664668 or e-mail hunterm@bre.co.uk .

Mineral wastes recovery project.

New research has been commissioned by Defra into the potential for using construction and mineral wastes in the manufacture of construction products such as bricks, blocks and tiles.

The wastes being examined for potential recovery include dredged silts, mineral extraction wastes, combustion and mineral processing residues and construction and demolition wastes.

The inquiry will be a joint effort between the Mineral Industry Research Organisation, BRE, the University of Leeds, the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme and Akristos .

MIRO is already managing two aggregates research programmes for Defra and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), both funded by the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund.

Waste and Resources Action Programme.

BRE is also working with WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme) on three new projects connected with the use of recycled and secondary aggregates (RSA).

The WRAP projects being run by BRE and funded by Defra should enable the construction and engineering industries to make more use of these materials.

Currently the use of recycled and secondary aggregates is restricted by limited knowledge of their effects on the engineering properties of concrete and the perception that they have the potential to leach hazardous materials into drinking water or groundwater.

BRE is to carry out leaching tests and develop testing protocols for RSAs to assist in complying with the dangerous substances and water framework directives which look set to become law over the next few years.

Approximately 275 million tonnes of aggregates are used annually in the U.K.

of which about 65 million tonnes are derived from recycled or secondary sources.

BREEAM wins world award.

BRE's environmental assessment method BREEAM for buildings won the 'Best Program' award at the 2005 World Sustainable Building conference in Tokyo.

Presented to the BRE chief executive Martin Wyatt, the award is in recognition of the assessment method's status as the most successfully executed programme for promoting sustainable building practices, extensively copied around the world.

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