December 17th, 2015

Bulletin No. 19 | Parsons International Limited | Middle East and Africa

CONSTRUCTION WASTE REDUCTION

Due to rapid economic growth and development in the Gulf region, the GCC countries currently rank amongst the
top in terms of waste production per capita, with construction and demolition waste contributing a significant
portion of the total waste stream. Accordingly, GCC countries are developing a more robust regulatory framework
that requires the construction industry to adopt a lifecycle approach for waste reduction on Projects. Following are
some key constraints contributing to waste generation, along with proven solutions that have helped to reduce
waste in the construction industry.

Key Contributing Factors:

Waste reduction not a Project objective
Designing out waste not considered at Project
concept stage
Financial and Time Constraints
Poor construction programming
Wrong construction techniques
Unskilled resources
Over-specification, design complexity and
frequent design changes
Procurement of standard sized materials
Over-packaging & ordering, bulk procurement
Poor procurement scheduling
Poor quality
Untidiness, poor handling and storage at site
during construction
Poor waste management and non-segregation
of waste for reuse and recycling
Lack of adequate regulations or poor
enforcement of regulations

Key Solutions:

Prefabricated / Precast Materials Prefer to

use prefabricated or precast construction items.

Integrated Design Process- Engage all

stakeholders early on to identify and implement
waste reduction targets on Projects.

Specify more Regional & Recycled Materials.

Waste Champion Appoint representative

during construction to closely work with
procurement and construction teams.

Waste Reduction Plan Develop and implement

a waste reduction plan with targets for
construction team, including penalty and reward
scheme.

Take-Back Scheme -Work with manufacturers

and suppliers on possible options to recycle
excess products through take-back schemes.

Good Coordination- Avoid rework through

regular stakeholder coordination meetings.

In keeping with growing awareness of the importance of waste management, waste reduction initiatives are being
implemented on most Parsons Projects in the GCC. Recent examples of successful initiatives include:
Saadiyat Island Project, Abu Dhabi, UAE:
o Using 100% recycled base and sub base in project road construction helps the project save a significant
amount of money on procurement of virgin materials while reducing waste and environmental impact.
o 90% construction waste diversion target. Saadiyat Tunnel Project achieved a 93% diversion rate.
Masdar Headquarters Project, Abu Dhabi, UAE:
o In addition to achieving a >95% waste diversion rate, the construction team worked with their gypsum
board manufacturer to recycle more than 5,000 m3 of their gypsum waste generated from off-cuts and
damaged material, helping them to save on disposal costs while reducing environmental impacts.
Abu Dhabi Airport Complex:
o Targeting a 70% construction waste diversion rate as part of Estidama 3 Pearl Sustainability Scheme.

Links:

References, further reading, information on Costs

Hub Discussion