INTERNATIONAL CLEANER PRODUCTION INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE

CASE STUDY # 214

1. Headline: Reduction of waste from a concrete plant.

2.   Background:   See   Description  of   Cleaner   Production
Application

3.  Cleaner  Production Principle: Internal recycling,  process
modification

4.  Description of Cleaner Production Application: In this case
study,  which  was  completed in March 1993,  the  company  had
desired  to reduce its generated waste and to introduce cleaner
production in the management system of the company. The company
manufactures concrete products for different types of buildings
and  tunnels.  In 1991 sales were 69,773 tons of products,  and
they  employed  130  employees. The original  wastes  included:
concrete waste from all the processes which were hauled to  the
waste  dump; iron and steel wastes, since most of the  concrete
products  are  reinforced with wire mesh, wire or reinforcement
bars, most of which were dumped at a waste dump or delivered to
a  junk  shop;  wood wastes from the form work department  were
dumped  at  the waste dump and sawdust and chips were  used  as
scatter  on a farm nearby; and paper and other kinds of  wastes
from production, which were dumped at the municipal waste dump.

As   a   result  of  cleaner  production  options,  there  were
improvements of the working operations, a reduction in the size
of  the end cuts when casting hollow core floor slabs, internal
recovery of concrete waste, and recycling of surface water.

The consumption of concrete was reduced by 3,285 tons per year.
The  consumption of water was reduced by 4,000 m3 per year. The
amount  of concrete waste was reduced by 3,285 tones per  year.
The  waste  of  wood and iron/steel sorted out from  waste  are
handed  over to respectively a chip cutter and a junk shop.  It
represents about 80 tons per year.

5. Economics: Investments in equipment to recycle surface water
are  estimated at 32,500 NOK. Pay back time of the improvements
will be approximatelY 10 months.

6.   Advantages:   See   Description  of   Cleaner   Production
Application.

7.   Constraints:   See  Description  of   Cleaner   Production
Application.

8. Contacts

AS Betongelement
Att: Operation supervisor Kjell Hermansen
2020 SKEDSMOKORSET
Norway

State Pollution Authority
Att: Uno Abrahamsen
Postboks 8100 Dep.
0032 OSLO, Norway
TEL: +47 22 57 34 00

Oestfold Research Foundation
Att: Arild Olsen and Lars Teigen
Postboks 276
1601 FREDRIKSTAD
Norway
TEL: + 47 69 34 19 00

9.  Keywords:  ISIC  Code 3699, concrete production,  inventory
management,  scrap  recovery,  rinse  water  reuse,  management
strategies

10.  Reviewer's Comment's: This case study was translated  from
Norwegian  and submitted to UNEP IE on behalf of the  Norwegian
State     Pollution    Control    Authority    by    Stiftelsen
Ostfoldforskning  in  February 1994.  They  were  reviewed  and
edited  by  UNEP  IE in July 1995. They have  not  undergone  a
formal quality review.