Wasted Elements

Millions of tyres are dumped throughout the emirates ? an environmental hazard.

With waste management at the forefront of the region’s sustainability drive, Construction Week investigates what is required by law and how firms are tackling the issue in practice.

With the drive for sustainable building in the Middle East continually gaining strength, every aspect of a project’s construction is now scrutinised for its ‘green’ credentials. One of the growing focuses is that of waste management: optimising the amount of materials needed for a project; increasing the use of recycled materials; and lowering waste produced, have all become concerns.

The current economic downturn is also increasing the focus on waste management as firms seek ways to lower project costs, while maintaining build quality. But what is required by law and how can your firm benefit from minimising construction waste?

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Regulating waste
The first factor that construction firms must consider in terms of waste management is what is required by law. So what should you be adhering to?

One of the first points to note is that regulations differ according to the area or country in which a project is underway. “Waste management in construction sites have clear regulations in the UAE. However it would be difficult to generalise the regulations in UAE, let alone the Middle East, since each Emirate has its own set of rules and regulations,” reports Tariq Ibrahim, sales manager, Mohammed Tayyeb Khoory & Sons Waste Management Division.

The rules covering the removal and disposal of waste are clear in each of the different countries.

“Dubai Municipality has allocated a dump site for construction waste in Jebel Ali, with clear instructions on how to dispose of construction waste; waste management centre, Abu Dhabi has also made clear regulations on the disposal of construction waste,” states Ibrahim.

“Regarding the removal and dumping of waste in Dubai for example, Dubai Municipality has made a set of guidelines for the same (Local Order No 7 of 2002 on Management of Waste Disposal Sites in the Emirate of Dubai),” adds Habiba Al Marashi, Emirates Environmental Group chair and board member of UN Global Compact.

“Generally the construction companies give out the responsibility of the waste disposal to a subcontractor who has got a permit from the Municipality to transport the waste to a designated place. As per the above guidelines, there are fees for the type of waste dumped at landfills,” she explains.

One common aim of the individual regulations is to provide environmental protection for the individual countries, including protecting resources and eradicating any dumping, with the adverse effects this causes.

“We have several laws that were passed to protect the environment, however Federal Law 24 (series 1999) was a landmark document for environmental protection and development in the country,” says Al Marashi.

“There have been several revisions of this law, but it provides the core for environmental protection in the country,” she says. Pollution of water sources, air and the overall environment are covered within Federal Law 24, as are sustainable development and methods of waste management, disposal and recycling.