Anantapur: Promote use of recycled material in building constructions

Anantapur: A one-day workshop was organised on "Systematic treatment of building debris" by Department of Civil Engineering at YVSR College of Engineering here on Saturday.

Prof N Darga Kumar of JNTUH, in his keynote address said a major inhibitor and disincentive was the tax on recycled waste, which is higher than on virgin material. He said 18 per cent GST was imposed on recycled bricks instead of 5 per cent GST levied on regular bricks.

This was discouraging, but it turned out to be cheaper as the use of mortar and plastering reduced. "The overall masonry cost us Rs 7,500 per cubic metre of wall. Regular masonry would have cost Rs 7,700 per cubic metre," he added. He said urban India was in a race to construct and has no qualms in bringing down healthy buildings to replace them with something taller, or uglier.

The reason is quite natural: increasing population, rising land cost and easy access to finance. But development also results in the generation of massive construction and demolition (C&D) waste. And people are clueless what to do with it.

In the context, Prof Darga Kumar opined that the civic bodies should promote a Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) approach that identifies certain C&D materials as commodities that can be used in new building projects, thus avoiding the need to mine and process virgin materials.

Construction and demolition (C&D) materials are generated when new building and civil-engineering structures are built and when existing buildings and civil-engineering structures are renovated or demolished (including deconstruction activities). Civil engineering structures include public works projects, such as streets and highways, bridges, utility plants, piers, and dams.

Dr Y Amarnath, CEO, Ananya Engineers narrated the importance of recycling units and benefits of reducing the disposal of building debris.

Reducing the amount of C&D materials disposed of in landfills or incinerators create employment and economic activities in recycling industries and provide increased business opportunities within the local community, especially when deconstruction and selective demolition methods are used.

Recycling makes sense but people are still apprehensive about the quality of recycled products.

The Waste Management Rules 2016 stipulate that local authorities and the government must use 10 to 20 per cent recycled waste in their buildings.

Central Public Works Department (CPWD) was the first government agency to adopt it. Engineering College Principal Dr M Suresh Babu, civil head P Naveen Kumar and CR Sulthana, D Sruthi and Shehtaj also spoke on the occasion.