Construction Materials: ENBU600

Mahesh Babu Purushothaman

Lecturer
Department of Built Environment Engineering
School of Future Environments

mahesh.babu@aut.ac.nz

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 Construction materials

Construction Materials
ENBU600

Waste Management

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 Waste
• Significant amount of construction and demolition waste is sent to landfills each year,
depending on the level of building activity

• Most in construction industry view waste as by-product of the construction project

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https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/plans-projects-policies-reports-bylaws/our-plans-strategies/topic-based-plans-strategies/environmental-plans-strategies/docswastemanagementplan/waste-assessment-
2017.pdf
 Waste send to landfill 5 million tonnes

$7.5
41.67% of billion
waste (@$1500/
excluding ton)
farm
wastes

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Source Reducing waste: a more effective landfill levy page 73 mfe.govt.nz
 Waste disposal cost
Indicative charges for processing or disposal of waste ($ per tonne)

Published in November 2019 by the Ministry for the Environment Manatū Mō Te Taiao PO Box 10362, Wellington 6143, New
Zealand ISBN: 978-1-98-857950-4 (print) 978-1-98-857949-8 (online) Publication number: ME 1470 © Crown copyright New
Zealand 2019

https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Waste/reducing-waste-a-more-effective-landfill-levy-consultation-document.pdf 5
 Construction Wastes

• Large volumes of waste also increase the costs of a project and its environmental
impact
• Some of the construction wastes are unnecessary.
• By sorting waste, a portion of it could be diverted from landfills and cleanfills

Construction and demolition wastes are Class 2 Solid wastes that posses lower potential for
environmental harm.
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https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Waste/reducing-waste-a-more-effective-landfill-levy-consultation-document.pdf
 Cleanfill

• Cleanfill refers to a specific type of waste materials that can be recycled or

reused in future construction projects
• In this case “clean” refers to being environmentally clean, meaning that the
materials are free contaminants that may cause harm to people, animals, or
environments that they come into contact with
• Building materials accepted as cleanfill disposal includes:
• Brick
• Concrete
• Dirt
• Top soil
• Gravel
• Sand
• Rubble

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 Landfill

• A landfill site is a site for the disposal of waste materials (everything except the
cleanfill materials) and is also known as:
• Tip
• Dump
• Rubbish dump
• Garbage dump
• Dumping ground
• Midden
Construction and demolition landfills such as

 Wood Products
 Asphalt
 Plasterboard
 Insulation

• Landfills are associated with environmental, economic, and social costs

https://www.mfe.govt.nz/waste/waste-guidance-and-technical-information/types-of-landfills
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 Costs of Construction Wastes

• BRANZ has produced several guides to promote waste minimisation and

sustainable built environments

• The costs associated with construction waste disposal in

New Zealand include:
• Environmental costs
• Economic costs
• Social costs

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Environmental costs of Waste Disposal
Environmental costs due to waste disposal include:
• Land costs : Example, Limited reuse of landfill sites due to potential health hazards
• Energy costs: Example, Energy required in handling and transportation
• De-toxication cost incurred due to pollution to land, air and water from heavy metals and toxic
chemicals
• Greenhouse gas emissions impact costs
• Cost associated to Unsustainable depletion of resources

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 Economic Costs of Waste Disposal
Economic costs of waste disposal include:
• Cost of operating and maintaining landfill sites
• Cost of transporting, hiring containers, and handling waste to landfills
• Loss of financial benefit from using recycled or salvaged materials

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Social Costs from Waste Disposal
Social costs from waste disposal include:
Health costs incurred due to
• Noise, dust and traffic pollution to the community
• Effects of hazardous or nuisance waste to workers on a landfill site and to the community

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 Waste in legislation

New Zealand Building Act 2004

The purpose of New Zealand Building Act 2004 is to ensure
that:
• people who use buildings can do so safely and without
endangering their health
• buildings have attributes that contribute appropriately to
the health, physical independence, and well-being of the
people who use them
• people who use a building can escape from the building
if it is on fire
• buildings are , constructed, and able to be used in ways
that promote sustainable development
• the building work complies with the building code

The two sustainability principles included in New Zealand Building Act 2004 are:
• The efficient and sustainable use of materials (including materials that
promote or support human health and material conservation)
• The need to facilitate the reduction in the generation of waste during the
construction process

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 New Zealand waste policy events
OECD Environmental Performance New Zealand Waste
Select Committee reports
OECD Environmental Performance Review notes ongoing increase in waste Strategy updated, removing
back on Waste
Review criticises New Zealand’s waste generation, lack of legislative framework zero waste vision and all
Minimisation (Solids) Bill, MfE consults on
management system, singling out lack of for waste management, excessive focus waste minimisation targets
recommending it be possible priority
legislation and waste data collection. on disposal end of waste hierarchy, poor as they were “unable to be
passed with significant waste streams for
Recommends central government more waste data, and the country’s recycling measured or achieved”.
amendment. Enacted as mandatory
actively assist regional authorities with system “vulnerable to collapse”. Adopts “a more flexible
the Waste Minimisation product
waste management practice guidelines, Recommends improved management of approach” featuring two
Act (WMA) with cross- stewardship.
promote cleaner production, waste hazardous waste, expansion and upgrade high level goals: “reducing
party support (NZ First
reduction and recycling, upgrade or close of waste treatment and disposal facilities, harm and improving
opposed).
landfills, introduce disposal charges, and increased regulatory support for recovery efficiency”.
develop a national waste information or recycling, including deposit-refund Proposal to ban Single-Use Plastic bags
database. systems and producer responsibility. using s 23 of the WMA.
Waste Work Programme announced.

1996 2002 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2013 2014 2017 2018

New Zealand Waste Strategy launched,

including 30 waste minimisation targets Proposal to use WMA to ban plastic
and an overarching “zero waste” vision. Waste Disposal Levy comes into Tyrewise submits its report microbeads in personal care
effect for Class 1 landfills at on a product stewardship products and cosmetics. MfE
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment releases report default rate of $10 a tonne. scheme for end-of-life tyres receives 16,223 submissions; none
Changing Behaviour: Economic instruments in the management of waste, to MfE (produced with oppose proposal. Regulations are
recommending New Zealand use economic instruments to manage waste, Ministry for the Environmental funding from the WMF) made by end of year.
improve poor waste (MfE) consults on waste
data, address legislative barriers to the use of economic instruments, minimisation including OECD Environmental Performance
institute better central government guidance on reviewing NZWS and broaching Review notes lack of data on waste
the design and implementation of economic instruments, and seek possible priority product generation/ treatment/disposal;
independent review of government’s progress in meeting the NZWS’ key declarations acknowledges introduction of WMA
actions and targets and waste disposal levy, but notes
Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill introduced to House of Representatives, levy’s application is too narrow to
passes first reading, referred to Select effectively encourage waste
Committee. minimisation. Recommends
extending the levy, and improving 14
Source: Hannah Blumhardt (2018).Trashing Waste: unlocking the wasted potential of New Zealand’s Waste Minimisation Act, Policy
Quarterly – Volume 14, Issue 4 – November 2018 waste data collection.
 New Zealand Waste Minimisation Act 2008

• The Waste Minimisation Act was introduced to

Parliament by the Green Party on 4 May 2006 and
was passed in September 2008.

• The aim is to reduce the environmental harm of

waste and provide economic, social and cultural
benefits for New Zealand by:

• Encouraging people to think about how they dispose of materials

• Providing an incentive to avoid waste
• Providing funding for waste minimization projects

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More info @ Ministry of the environment: https://www.mfe.govt.nz/more/acts-and-regulations/waste-minimisation-act-2008
New Zealand Waste Minimisation Act 2008
• How the Act encourages waste minimisation:
• Imposes a levy on all waste disposed of in municipal landfills to generate funding
• Awards government accreditation of product for managing the environmental impacts
• Requires stewardship for ‘priority products’ with high risk of environmental harm from the
waste or significant benefits from recovering the product
• Allows for regulations to control the disposal of products, materials or waste
• Makes it mandatory for landfill facility operators to report on waste
• Clarifies the roles and responsibilities of territorial authorities with respect to waste
minimisation
• Establishes the Waste Advisory Board to give independent advice to the Minister for the
Environment on waste minimisation issues

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The waste management hierarchy
The waste management hierarchy is a list of the six most
effective ways to control waste in order of their environmental
acceptability.
/ refuse

/ reduce It calls on waste managers to:

• refuse: prevent use

• reduce waste generating activities; or otherwise

• reuse products rather than discard them; or otherwise

• recycle waste materials to make new products; or otherwise

Source: Branz
• recover any useful materials and energy; or otherwise
• dispose: treat the waste with processes that remove or
reduce its impact and dispose of the waste safely on land set
aside for the purpose.
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Widely used Three Rs of Waste Minimization
• Three Rs of waste minimization (WM) are:
• Reduce waste generating activities; or otherwise
• Reuse products rather than discard them
• Recycle waste materials to make new products

Factors that contribute to economic

value of sending waste streams to
reclamation facilities include the:
 Weight/quantity of material

 Amount & type of contaminants.

 Level of damage

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 Construction Material Waste
Construction Material

Planning and Pre- Post

Design/Build Procurement Construction
Development Construction construction

Waste

Productivity Delay Resource cost

Accidents
utilisation

Material waste in each stage of construction impact productivity (P), Delay (D), Accidents (A),
Recourse Utilisation(R), and Cost(C). Most significant impact is on cost.

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 Waste Management in Design Stage

With respect to construction materials, Design must

incorporate the principles of minimising waste by:
• using a minimum range of materials
• using modular sheet sizes
• identifying and sourcing suitable recycled materials
• using excavated material to form landscape where
possible
• selecting locally manufactured materials
• Selecting suitable material for deconstruction

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Waste Management in Construction Stage
Prepare a waste management plan for construction materials including the following items:
• Before construction starts
• Plan locations for depositing and stacking materials
• Ensure all subcontractors are aware of the recycling policies
• Ordering and obtaining materials
• Order the correct amount of material – do not over-order
• Plan for delivery as required to minimise storage time on site
• Confirm dimensions before ordering materials/components
• Minimise the number of trips to a supplier
• Use prefabricated materials and components where possible
• Use recycled aggregate for concrete where possible
• Use recycled steel for reinforcement where possible

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 Waste Management in Construction Stage

… continue
• Storage and use of materials
• Store materials protected from the weather/damage
• Centralise timber cutting and collect off-cuts
• Confirm measurements before cutting or fabrication
• Return surplus materials to the supplier
• Avoid repair work
• Sequence work effectively
• Set up an effective quality control system to monitor
the quality as it proceeds
• Prevent damage to completed work by providing
adequate protection and educate tradespeople to
respect the work and finish by others

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Waste Management in
Deconstruction/Demolition Stage

• Demolition produces the largest amount of waste during building’s life cycle
• Significant waste is also generated when a building is renovated
• Planning steps during the deconstruction/demolition should include:
• Site and building survey
Review building plans, working drawings, and engineers’ reports to determine the
materials and construction techniques used and to locate the existing services

• Make an inventory of materials

Quantify each material type and evaluating to determine whether the material should
be reused, recycled or disposed of

• Prepare a deconstruction plan

Prepare a deconstruction plan that including list of materials, specification of
refurbishment work, and instructions of deconstruction

• Deconstruction/demolition
The implementation of the deconstruction/demolition process

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Materials that can be recycled from
CONSTRUCTION projects include:
 Metals: Steel (reinforcing steel, structural steel, steel roofing, flashings and spouting, interior metal
wall studs, bolts and nuts), cast iron, aluminium, copper ( including flashings, spouting, claddings and
pipework), plumbing fixtures, containers, and clamps.
 Concrete (can be broken down and recycled to use as base course in driveways and footpaths)
 Plastics: high density polyethylene water pipes, PVC, polystyrene (resin codes 1–6).
 Paper and cardboard
 Timber: hardwood flooring, laminated beams, truss joists, treated and untreated timbers/posts, and
engineered timber panels
 Siteworks and vegetation : asphalt paving, chain link fencing, timber fencing, and trees
 Masonry: concrete blocks and decorative concrete, paving stones, and bricks.
 Terracotta tiles
 Electrical wiring
 Wool carpet

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BRANZ HTTP://WWW.LEVEL.ORG.NZ/MATERIAL-USE/MINIMISING-WASTE/
 Construction landfill waste
45%

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
New Zealand Europen Union USA Australia

BRANZ, SR 279 (2013) 25

Save
$250

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 AIM ZERO WASTE

 Every year, more than 5 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste is send to landfill in NZ.

 Most of this waste could be used in more productive ways.

 Our waste is a potential valuable resource that can create jobs, improve economy, and care of our
environment.

 Zero-waste is a long-term goal, that can be achieved if we act now.

Source: Auckland council & MIBE

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 KEY BENEFITS WASTE MINIMISATION
 Reduced environmental impact: When material entering the waste stream is lowered, it reduces the CO2 and
other gas emissions and environmental impact of construction. It also reduces environmental impacts
associated with extracting, transporting and manufacturing/processing the construction materials;

 Results in significant cost savings: lower the material consumption lower the construction cost;

 Conserving natural resource: Use of re-used and recycled materials reduces demand for virgin materials
thus conserving natural resource;

 Economic Boost: stimulating use of recycled materials amongst product manufacturers boosts economy;

 Increased competitive differentiation: reduction in wastes and in turn construction costs aids
competitive advantage;
 Responding to public policy: responding to the public policy for increased sustainability in
construction and the built environment than to wait for being compelled to act by legislation; and

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 WASTE MINIMISATION : USEFUL VIDEOS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwStG-LAWbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctBDRargorw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Byuj9bEFvc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_8ByOwjp2U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UgwRQSP37Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0Ejq_4GXEA

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Construction materials

Thank you!