LAWR

CONSTRUCTION & DEMOLITION Watching the waste line No industry does more to eliminate waste than the demolition sector; and the demolition industry is not done yet, according to John Woodward. he very term demoli- tion waste is a mis- nomer. For there is no industry that does more to eliminate waste from its activities than the dem- olition sector. At present, the UK's leading contractors regularly recycle more than 95% of the arisings from their works. Concrete is crushed on or off-site and is used as a secondary material for new construction works. Steel and copper is melted for a second life, as is glass. Timber is used in the manufacture of paper or, increasingly, turned into pel- lets for use as fuel in power stations. Indeed, as the demolition industry has moved ever closer to the waste man- agement business, its daily interactions with the local landfill site have dimin- ished exponentially. Indeed, it is only the occasional disposal of hazardous waste that requires any formal interac- tion between the two sectors. Guidance But demolition is not resting on its laurels. Rather, it is targeting further reductions in waste generation. To facilitate greater materials recogni- tion, segregation and recycling, the National Federation of Demolition Contractors recently introduced its range of Demolition and Refurbishment Information Datasheets (DRIDS) which provide informative and practicable guidance about the materials and prod- ucts that might be found on a demoli- tion site today. Meanwhile, former Institute of Demolition Engineers' president and industry veteran Dr Terry Quarmby is calling for an End of Life Directive which would require the construction industry to "build in" a contingency for when a building or structure reaches the end of its practical life. Working in conjunction with Building Information Modelling (BIM), this would include the use of recyclable materials, details of where those materials are located within the structure, how they were fixed and fitted, and how they might be reused, re-purposed or recycled. In sharp contrast to the profligacy of its cousin the construction sector, the demolition industry is the benchmark by which other industries' waste gen- eration and control should be judged. T November 2014 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 23 We manufacture bespoke Shredders for Shredding... \Clinical Waste \Tyres \Metal \Mobile Shredding \Plastics \Confidential Documents \WEEE \Electronic Media Storage Devices \Textiles \Organic Waste \Fuel Large, coarse, superfine and everything in between at Ulster Shredders. Cogry Works, 65 Creagh Rd, Castledawson Magherafelt. BT45 8EW T. +44 28 7965 0050 F. +44 28 7965 0025 Want to find out more about our range of Industrial Shredders? Email us at info@ulstershredders.com or visit our website. ulstershredders.com SELF DRIVE & OPERATED PLANT HIRE AVAILABLE Mobile Washing Systems "A tailored package to meet your specifi c needs" Including: • MOBILE DEWATERING SCREENS & CYCLONES • MOBILE WATER RECYCLING PLANT • MOBILE CENTRIFUGES FOR SLUDGE REMOVAL Total water recirculation = Lower water use Does not require settlement lagoons CRUSHERS AND DRY SCREENERS ALSO AVAILABLE SEE THE VIDEO OF THE PLANT WORKING ON OUR WEBSITE John Woodward is the former Institute of Demolition Engineers' president and C&D Consultancy founder.

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