The Circular Economy in the Irish Construction Industry

At Varming Consulting Engineers, we have our finger on the pulse of the Irish construction industry, and the concept of circular thinking has gained some traction over the last decade or so. Traditionally, the linear ‘use & dispose’ approach to construction materials creates a lot of waste, however, the circular economy approach involves use followed by reuse.

Recently, the concept has been incorporated into the European Green Deal, which features a Circular Economy Action Plan, and with increasing support, it presents an exciting opportunity to integrate these principles into Irish building design.

Recycling Construction Waste

An example of circular economy thinking can be seen in 2020 when an Irish construction waste management company called IMS. 3,000 tonnes of concrete waste was collected by the company from a Dublin Airport runway taxi-way project, however, it wasn’t disposed of. Instead, it was used to create Greenstone – an NSAI-certified aggregate.

At the same time, IMS supplied 7,000 tonnes of Greenstone back to Dublin as a sub-base for the newly constructed runway. As such, following independent verification, this recycled aggregate has been certified as having a carbon footprint equivalent to just 5% of virgin materials. Moreover, the reduced transportation has resulted in much-reduced emissions.

In terms of construction waste, circular thinking can potentially transform how Irish construction deals with the waste it produces. Recycling materials in this way not only diverts waste from landfill but also reduces the impact of new material extraction.

Working Towards a Greener Irish Construction Industry

Great strides are being made toward making the Irish construction industry cleaner and more environmentally-friendly, and the circular economy’s introduction advance matters further. Varming’s experienced mechanical and electrical engineers will continue doing their part in the transition to greener construction methods.

If you’d like to know more about us and our past projects, please visit us today at www.varming.ie, where you’ll find everything you need to know. Alternatively, to discuss your needs, call 01 4872300 and our experts will be happy to help you find the ideal solution.