Experts seek waste management plan in construction sites

Experts at the launch of Construction, Demolition and Disaster Waste (CDDW) of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in Lagos, have called on authorities to ensure that such plan  is needed to be prepared by a builder into the scheme of documents required when contracting firms are bidding for building works.

Speaking at the event, construction lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Dr Wahab Akeem Bolaji, said CDDW should be holistic in nature by assigning overall responsibilities for waste management, estimate the amount and types of waste involved, identify the waste destinations and transport modes, and set target and ways to track resources.

Also, it should be able to determine where new or used materials will be stored, and ensure that everyone on site is familiar with the aim of the plan.

According to him, prior planning, waste prevention goals for specific materials can be established as well as arrangements for its storage, reuse, transportation and disposal. The university don said the plan should incorporate cyclical process encompassing planning, acting, reviewing and improving.

He said: “Contract documentations should be prepared well in advance and presented in precise and practical terms. Suppliers must work in conjunction with designers, manufacturers and contractors so that materials are packaged, loaded, transported and fitted in forms that are compatible with site requirements.

“There is need to avoid double handling, site layout depicting designated central areas for cutting and storage, so that re-usable pieces can easily be located. “There is need to appropriately sort the on-site waste before disposal. On-site sorting should be an integral part of construction waste management practice, by creating refuse chutes meant to collect either inert or inert waste stream”, he added.

Speaking at the CDDW Stakeholders’ Forum, with the theme, “Creating Values through responsible Management of Construction and Demolition Waste in Lagos State,” held in Victoria Island, Lagos, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, who was represented by the Managing Director, LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said government will continue to devise strategies towards value creation and making life better for all, noting that disaster was an inevitable natural occurrence.

According to Bello, the theme is critical, timely and a calculated step as it was targeted at contributing frontier approaches to construction waste management towards safety, livability and sustainability of human race and the environment.

‘The management of CDDW had evolved over the years with the introduction of various strategies with treatment options for re-use and recycling of CDDW to guard it from constituting environmental nuisance.

For the Chief Executive Officer,  Richbol Environmental Services Ltd,  Mr. Adebola Olugbengaho , there is need for sustainable disposal of construction and demolition wastes in a mega city like Lagos.

Olugbengaho, who spoke on “Overview of CDDW Management In Nigeria (Focus on Lagos), urged collaborative efforts of relevant stakeholders to make it a success.

The programme entails providing a framework for moving towards a recycling society with a high level of resource efficiency, analyzing and identifying business models in CDDW recycling, identifying the necessary measures designed to achieve a minimum of 30 per cent (by weight) recycling target by 2022 of non-hazardous CDDW excluding naturally occurring materials.

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