A number of prestigious construction companies and projects have been shortlisted for top honours at the 2008 Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) Awards for Environmental Excellence. The awards, now in their second year, recognise and reward companies that have introduced successful measures to reduce their environmental impact.

Reaching the finals in the Construction and Demolition Product Use category are:

The Wolseley Sustainable Building Centre for its role as a centre of excellence for sustainable building products;

Edmund Nuttall Ltd for the Cambridgeshire guided busway scheme ,which used shredded rubber tyres as a drainage material;

Balfour Beatty and Skanska for their recycling and product use on the M1 Junction 6A to 10 widening project;

and Peel Ports Medway: Thames Water, for a project involving five organisations to find a sustainable end use for thousands of tonnes of trench and tunnel excavation materials arising from Thames Water’s Victorian Mains Replacement works in London.

Shortlisted for the Site Management category, meanwhile, are:

Aspire Defence for its redevelopment program which involves the demolition, construction and refurbishment of over 500 buildings;

ICWM for its work as the waste management contractor for the Balfour Beatty 40 Holbourn Viaduct project;

and Birmingham New Hospitals Joint Venture for site management of a £565 million project to build new health facilities in a logistically challenging city location.

Construction products are also well represented in the Sustainable Product Development category this year, with Frank Mercer and Sons Ltd reaching the finals for the Toughsheet range of building products made from recycled polythene packaging waste, and Corus for its Confidex Sustain system, which offers what is said to be the world’s first carbon neutral building envelope that is fully recyclable at the end of the building’s life.

The winning entries will be announced at an event to be held at the Dorchester Hotel on London’s Park Lane on 5th November 2008. The ceremony will be hosted by television presenter and conservationist Philippa Forrester and the judges include Liz Goodwin, chief executive of the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Owen Jenkins, director of CIRIA, John Ingham, environment editor of the Daily Express, and Jane Milne of the British Retail Consortium.

Steve Lee, chief executive of the CIWM, said: "The construction sector has made significant steps towards reducing waste and improving sustainability and recognising the very real gains that can be made by protecting resources and the environment. The quality of the entries was extremely high, showing innovation in product design, good practice on site and a clear focus on reusing and recycling."
 

Email: pat.jennings@ciwm.co.uk