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The issue of waste and recycling within the construction industry is to be investigated in a research project to be carried out at the University of Bolton's School of the Built Environment and Engineering.

'The construction industry is the largest single source of waste in the country, generating more than 100 million tonnes of waste a year and contributing almost one third of the UK's hazardous waste,' said Clive Robinson, Senior Lecturer in the Built Environment , who is conducting the research project.

'Around 90 per cent of this waste can be reprocessed into aggregates so there's certainly plenty of scope to develop the technologies for recycling and re-use of this material,' he added.

The research will be presented to the university's Research and Innovation Conference in May 2008. It will examine technologies and opportunities for construction waste recycling in the North West, make recommendations for a future work programme and outline proposals for the development of a sustainable management framework for recycling and re-use of the industry's waste in the most energy efficient manner.

This area of research is in line with government initiatives on waste and recycling issues and will be a preparatory study to a wider programme examining the use of more efficient and recyclable materials in construction; reprocessing and re-use of materials to meet legislation on performance and quality; and developing technologies, such as processing and communications, that will support waste recycling.

Pictured: Clive Robinson

 

Note to Editors
Students at the University of Bolton rate their university the best in Britain for building studies, according to a national survey monitoring student satisfaction. The Times Higher Education Supplement's breakdown of the new National Student Survey places Bolton at the top of the building subject area's nationwide league table.

The School of Built Environment and Engineering has 1400 students based at the universities Deane Campus, of which 450 are studying on engineering courses.

The statistics were featured in The Times Higher Education Supplement 14 September 2007. The National Students Survey results are featured each September and so these are the most current statistics available.