Around 35 percent of the total amount of waste in Denmark is construction waste. The waste of resources in construction is around 10 percent of the total material consumption. In a time of high material prices and an increased focus on resource consumption in the industry, there are, in other words, very good reasons to get rid of material waste.
Industry cooperation behind the project
The Danish Technological Institute, the contractor Aarsleff and the construction market chain STARK have therefore teamed up to investigate material waste on construction sites. The project is supported by funds from WE BUILD DENMARK and the Ministry of Education and Research.
– We want to find out how we can optimize and avoid waste in cooperation with our customers and suppliers. The project also ties in well with STARK’s own CO2 targets through the Science Based Targets initiative, where we have committed ourselves to both us and our value chain being CO2 neutral by 2050, says Kristian Fribo, head of sustainability at STARK.
Aarsleff wants real knowledge
The Danish element in the FLC consortium, which is responsible for the construction of the Fehmarntunnel, the contractor group Aarsleff, is involved in the collaboration.
– We hope that the project can give us more real knowledge based on data that we can act on. Concrete facts and procedures will be of great help to our colleagues out on the construction sites. We find that builders do not know what requirements they have to make for material waste because the market is developing so quickly. In a little while, there will also be increased demands on builders regarding circularity in construction, so it will be an important competitive parameter for all tenderers. We don’t want to passively watch, but instead get ready for the new requirements, says portfolio manager Tine Park Nygaard from Aarsleff.
Investigations are underway
The project is divided into several phases, and the results of the first part of the study are ready. Here, almost 600 of STARK’s tradesman customers answered a questionnaire about their experiences with waste.
The study showed, among other things, that wood is the material that is wasted by far the most. To the question “Which materials are most often wasted?” there is wood at the top with plaster, insulation and mortar afterwards. On the other hand, materials such as cables, concrete and steel lie at the bottom.
Multiple reasons for waste
There are several reasons for waste, but the tradesmen interviewed mentioned, among other things, cutting off, storage, transport on and to the construction site, fixed dimensions and package sizes as well as water and moisture damage.
The survey also asked the craftsmen to come up with a suggestion as to why material waste occurs. Several of the respondents answered that it is easier, faster and cheaper to throw the materials away than to save them for later. One of the comments read, among other things: “Too little time is often set aside for the tasks, which means that you don’t spend time using bits and pieces. You just have to finish, and then you just throw it out. “
Out on the construction sites
Based on the initial questionnaire, the investigation now continues with observations and interviews on construction sites.
– Based on the questionnaire survey, we could see that behavior was often mentioned as one of the causes of waste, so we have a special focus there. But also transport, logistics, storage and processes on the construction site are important areas to investigate further. We therefore conduct a number of interviews on construction sites, e.g. with contractors, so that we can learn more about how the waste happens in practice, says project manager Lene Dalvang, senior consultant at the Technological Institute.
The project is expected to be completed in September 2023.
