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Experts seek waste management plan in construction sites

By Bertram Nwannekanma
09 December 2019   |   3:58 am
To address wastes in construction and demolition sites, experts have called for institution of waste management plan during the course of construction.They stressed that waste management plan is one of the most sustainable management strategies ...

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To address wastes in construction and demolition sites, experts have called for institution of waste management plan during the course of construction. They stressed that waste management plan is one of the most sustainable management strategies needed to adopt in the minimization and management of waste likely to be generated during construction process.

Leading the call at the launch of Construction, Demolition and Disaster Waste (CDDW) of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in Lagos, construction lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Dr Wahab Akeem Bolaji,  said such plan  is needed to be prepared by a builder into the scheme of documents required when contracting firms are bidding for building works. 
 
The plan, he stressed,  is supposed to 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, set a target and ways to track resources, 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, by  means of 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. 

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.

They spoke ahead of LAWMA plans to launch the CDDW initiative. 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.

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, said government had not stopped devising strategies towards value creation and making life better for all, noting that disaster was an inevitable natural occurrence.

According to Bello, the theme was 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 Commissioner, whose speech was read by the Managing Director, LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said 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.

The forum, Gbadegesin said, was expected to chat a new course into how CDDWs were managed efficiently and effectively in Lagos State, stating that for several years, the solid waste management had been centred around waste from households and that LAWMA, as a responsible and responsive agency of government deemed it fit to address construction, demolition and disaster waste for the benefit of all.

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