On the road again

The plant processes construction and demolition waste, recycling it into aggregate.

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A crushing plant in Abu Dhabi has placed itself at the quarry-face of sustainable construction, recycling concrete into aggregate for use in road building.

Construction and demolition in the emirate of Abu Dhabi has changed and there’s more to come. You may not know it yet, but soon you will have to recycle all construction and demolition waste.

A new recycling plant in Al Dhafra, on the very outskirts of Abu Dhabi’s future urban sprawl, has been developed by Thiess Services Middle East - a joint venture between Al Habtoor Leighton Group and Australia's Thiess Services - for this very purpose.

Last year, the company won an exclusive concession to build and operate the recycling plant for 15 years. For now, disposal of recyclable concrete spoil is free for contractors, though the door remains open for charges to be introduced at a later stage.

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The plant has two distinct purposes. Firstly, is stops a lot of useful construction material simply heading straight to landfill. Secondly, it takes this material and turns it into aggregate, ready to be reused in suitable construction projects.

“So it's free to get rid of waste, from there we value add it and produce a high-grade material,” said Mark Chandler, C&D recycling manager.

Right now the process is just for concrete, which is being turned into aggregate for road building. Gradually, aggregates for other construction uses will be developed. The site already has a stockpile of asphalt, which will soon be added to the plant's recycling programme.

Having been officially opened about a month ago, production is gradually building to full capacity. However, the business case for the plant and its products is a strong one.

The Center of Waste Management Abu Dhabi – the government client behind the project – has developed regulations that will mean all construction and demolition waste will have to be recycled. Further regulation will require projects in Abu Dhabi, which have a use for the products the site produces, to use a minimum of 40% of the recycled material in their construction.

“With the regulations they want to put in place, waste has to come here,” said Chandler. “We can deem it unsuitable, but it has to come through our fingers, or it is illegal dumping.

“The regulations will mean that everything that is suitable for recycling can no longer go to landfill.”

This marks a change in the emirate, where much waste has been used either as landfill, or for land reclamation. Now the recycling will realise the full value of the materials, which until now have frequently been thrown away.