Asfia Khan talks to John Wigham, director of Cracknell to find out how landscaping architects interface with waste management to attain overall environmental sustainability
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John Wigham,
Director Of Cracknell
DNV’s Food Specialist
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Spurred by the boom in the regional construction industry, landscaping projects in the region are set to double in volume to exceed AED 60 billion by 2010. So what does the region’s booming landscaping industry and the relatively nascent waste management industry have in common?
All landscaping architects have announced their support for Estidama, Abu Dhabi’s integrated program for the sustainable design, operation and maintenance of all types of buildings and communities, whereby a balanced growth is expected to be achieved between the buildings and the surrounding greenery. Waste management as we all know, forms an integral part of any sustainable project.
Notwithstanding the regulations formulated by bodies like Estidama(meaning sustainability in Arabic), LEED(Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) and BREEAM(The Environmental Assessment Method for Buildings Around the World), waste management should be taken into consideration while finalizing the concept and design of any project.
John Wigham, director of Cracknell, an award winning, multi-disciplinary company offering professional services in master planning, urban design, landscape architecture, etc, says that landscape architects needs to closely interface with waste management in order to provide infallible, long-term, sustainable landscape designs. “We need to know what type of waste management system is going to be adopted by the developer and how it operates so that we can design the landscape accordingly.”
”For instance, an underground waste management system needs to have enough space around it for a truck to easily maneuver a crane in order to remove the waste container. Landscape architects also need to know the kind of waste collection/recycling bins that will be used so as to be aesthetically designed into the street scene, signifying the importance of the interface between landscaping and waste management.
“Even a concealed system that does not need trucks needs to be thought about and designed in,” says Wigham, while citing the problems that arose in designing the landscape of Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island due to the vacuum sewerage system that was going to run underground at a depth of one metre below ground level. The underground system was in conflict with a line of trees whose
roots would take up at least two metres below ground level.
In addition, landscape architects need to know everything about waste water treatment and greywater management in any facility to be able to provide for suitable and sustainable landscape irrigation. Even though waste management has a direct bearing on landscaping, few developers actually realize this. Not only does Wigham want to draw the attention of contractors and developers to this important aspect, he also wants to drive home another important aspect of waste management, i.e. recycling waste.
Recycling waste – holistic approach
Because the recycling process depends mainly on the private sector companies, he is of the opinion that it is not enough to set up recycling bins at strategic locations unless the whole process from beginning to end is planned to enable them to realize profits. He cites an example of recycling bins set up by Right Angle near over 740 air-conditioned bus stops in Dubai, which “make a nice PR statement for recycling,” but probably does not fulfill the economic purpose of collecting recyclables.
The problem starts with the way the bins have been labeled, one for the collection of paper, the second for bottles and cans and the third for general waste. Wigham firstly questions the collection of two different products, i.e. bottles and cans in one bin which will require resorting once the litter is picked up. Secondly, he questions the presence of a separate bin for general waste when the municipality already provides a bin for general waste in any case near all bus stops. Thirdly, the economic feasibility behind the logistics operation of picking up the recyclable waste from 740-plus different locations across the emirate is at stake, considering that the waste will only amount to a truckload for bus commuters and passers-by do not carry a huge volume of waste.
“If only a marginal profit is being made out of any system, it does not take long for it to turn from positive to negative. If the collection of recyclables ceases to be a profitable affair, the end result is that it will be sent to the landfill. The whole process of waste management needs to be carefully chalked out so that it becomes an economically viable project,” reasons Wigham.
An interesting example of real-time profit in terms of plastic recycling is shown by a Chinese company (Green Mountain) in the UAE which segregates different types of plastic waste, breaks it down into chips, and compresses it into bales to ship to its own factories in China where it is processed into new products.
Another interesting instance of the economical advantage of the recycling process is shown by Eco Plastic industries, a company situated in Jebel Ali, which processes all kinds of plastic waste to make a timber-like plastic product that looks and behaves like timber in terms of strength and appearance, but with plastic-like durability. This timber-like plastic is used to make many products like park benches, car park shelters, etc.
As landscape architects, Wigham believes that they can influence contractors to look into the benefits of recycling and start implementing it on the premises of their projects. For instance, the plastic that is used to wrap glass can be collected and sold to plastic recycling companies. “This will serve to be an economic motivation for contactors and a start to their role in the recycling process.”
Economies of scale matter a great deal in determining the profitability of any recycling process. Consumers through government departments, industries and building contractors need to understand the entire chain of events in recycling in order to get each individual component right.
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