Gypsum
based building materials and systems
The Ashdown Agreement on plasterboard
recycling, signed earlier this year by the Gypsum Product
Development Association (GPDA) and DEFRA, sets demanding targets
for the recycling levels to be achieved by the industry in the
coming years. Although they are tough, they are also achievable
– a fact which has been clearly demonstrated at a major PFI
project at Ipswich Hospital.
Critical to reducing the amount of construction site waste sent
to landfill are careful control of board supply and sizes to
minimise waste at the outset and the implementation of efficient
site waste collection and recycling procedures. Not only have
both steps been central to the approach adopted at Ipswich but
they have also been proven to be cost neutral – clearly
demonstrating that building in a sustainable way need not impact
adversely on the industry’s financial margins.
The Garrett Anderson Centre at Ipswich is a new £26m, four
storey, treatment centre, constructed for the Ipswich Hospital
NHS Trust by Kier Eastern. Plasterboard systems were supplied by
Knauf Drywall, and the plasterboard installation contractor was
BR Hodgson. They worked in partnership with waste and
environmental management specialist Wastefile to complete the
‘recycling circle’.
Kier used some 22,000m2 (295 tonnes) of plasterboard on the
project and was able to recycle some 81 tonnes through the waste
management approach adopted.
The waste minimisation strategy for the development began at the
design stage, with a system agreed which allowed the number of
layers of plasterboard to be reduced and a limit to the number
of different board types to just five.
Boards for the project were specially manufactured to match the
three metre room height, to substantially eliminate the need for
cutting on site. Infill sections at the head of the walls within
the profiled decking were manufactured off site to the exact
profile of the decking, again both reducing waste and speeding
installation.
During the installation phase BR Hodgson took responsibility for
segregating plasterboard waste and placing it in designated
containers. Kier Eastern arranged for these to be collected on a
two-weekly cycle by Wastefile UK so that the waste could be
returned to the Knauf manufacturing facility. Here the company’s
recycling plant removes the paper facings from the off cuts and
produces a recycled gypsum product suitable for re-use in the
production process.
Says Steve Wilson recycling manager at Knauf Drywall: “This
project is a prime example of the way in which making waste
minimisation part of the design process and putting in place
practical measures for waste segregation can bring real savings.
Co-operation between the parties involved meant it was a simple
matter to avoid any significant contamination of the board
waste, which is important to ensure it can be readily recycled.
Kier Eastern undertook a detailed cost benefit analysis of
disposal to landfill compared to a take back/recycling scheme
based on 10 per cent plasterboard wastage and this also showed
the scheme to be completely cost neutral.”
Crispin Dunn-Meynell of the GPDA adds: “We know that the
combination of wasteful design, off cuts, damaged boards and
over ordering can account for wastage of up to 25 per cent on
site. It is evident that this can be very significantly reduced
by adopting the approach taken at the Garrett Anderson Centre.
If every major scheme utilising plasterboard takes similar steps
then the potential for waste reduction will quickly begin to
bring down the current waste figure which is running at about
300,000 tonnes a year. It is easier to implement such measures
on large schemes but all plasterboard manufacturers are now also
introducing ways to make it simpler to recycle from smaller
projects, so every developer can potentially make a
contribution.”
Email:
mfarrington@golleyslater.co.uk
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Editor's Note: Gypsum Product Development Association provide:-
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Gypsum Products Development - PFI project helps point the way to achieving plasterboard industry's Ashdown Agreement targets
Arundel Jones Associates Ltd News Categories : Gypsum based building materials and systems |