Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Recycling Construction Waste



Read into an article entitle "Material Waste In The Malaysian Construction Industry" by Abd. Aziz and Naser Elromni from School of Housing, Building and Planning, Science University Malaysia really attrack me since construction produce excessive waste and it is really common in Malaysia. Even excessive waste is common in the construction process, it receive lack consideration by contractors or the industry.

As we know, most construction waste goes into landfills and increasing the burden on landfill loading and operation.Waste from sources such as solvents or chemically treated wood can result in soil and water pollution. Some materials can be recycled directly into the same product for re-use. Others can be reconstituted into other usable products. Unfortunately, recycling that requires reprocessing is not usually economically feasible unless a facility using recycled resources is located near the material source. Many construction waste materials that are still usable can be donated to interested parties. This keep the material out of the landfill and supports a good cause.

The most important step for recycling of construction waste is on-site separation. Initially, this will take some extra effort and training of construction personnel. Once separation habits are established, on-site separation can be done at little or no additional cost.

Common construction wastes that can be recycled are;

  • Apliances and fixtures
  • Brush and trees
  • Cardboard and paper
  • Lumber and playwood
  • Masonry
  • Metals
  • Plastics; containers, bags and sheeting
  • Roofing
  • Windows and doors

2 comments:

  1. Apart from this, waste minimisation is an important area of concern in the implementation of the construction waste management in the construction industry of Malaysia.One of the best and most efficient method is reduction which is for minimising the generation of waste and eliminating many of the waste disposal problems.Beside that, the efforts to increase awareness among contractors in the Malaysian construction industry should be intensified as it will create a positive attitude and lead to improvements in their waste management practices.

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  2. Use the Best Management Practices guidelines for the Construction Industry, published by the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia.

    A lot of studies have been supported by CIDB and have been published in International research journals.

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