Weekly News Bulletin – 24th August 2018

This week The Construction Index shared important news about the announcement of the UK’s largest plant for recycling construction and demolition waste. The facility is to open doors in Pumpherston, Livingston, and will have the capacity to recycle 400,000 tonnes of waste every year. The opening of the Brewster Bros’ recycling centre is well aligned with the Scottish Government’s aim to ‘Make Things Last’ and ensure that 70% of construction waste is recycled by 2020.

We saw another interesting story from The Construction Index that comments on a study by Transport for London (TfL), which says construction should use bigger lorries for deliveries to cut traffic, cost and pollution. Ian Brooker, director of logistics at WSP, believes that educating the industry about the benefits of this change and encouraging the use of larger vehicles would positively contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and improve air quality.

PBC Today spoke about technological advances such as BIM, VR/AR and even the rise of robots. The developments offer unique opportunities for the industry to innovate and improve the workflow in construction. Technology could help with a cost-effective, easier and more accurate solution, however, the topic is still considered controversial. What are your thoughts on advancing technologies?

Along the same lines, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce announced its campaign, which will aim to help businesses boost their productivity and educate them on the importance of investing in innovation, R&D, tech and emerging trends. The campaign will launch on 10th September and will be based around local case studies while providing expert commentary by Chamber members, some of which include University of Birmingham and The NEC Group.

Finally, The Construction Enquirer reported about the country’s first Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) apprenticeship scheme. The new qualification was initiated by a working group from various sectors which includes HS2, Thames Water, Costain and many more to successfully develop the scheme. The first group of 20 apprentices has already started their training period and another 160 will follow them shortly.

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UK’s largest construction recycling plant opens
The largest construction waste recycling plant in the UK has opened its doors in Scotland
https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/uks-largest-construction-recycling-plant-opens

TfL study says construction should use bigger lorries to cut traffic
A study for Transport for London by consulting engineer WSP has concluded that using larger articulated lorries for deliveries to construction sites in the capital, instead of the rigid trucks currently used, would cut pollution and traffic
https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/tfl-study-says-construction-should-use-bigger-lorries-to-cut-traffic

Bringing the benefits of technology to construction
Technological advances like BIM, VR/AR and even the rise of robots are bringing new opportunities and possibilities to construction
https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/bim-news/benefits-technology-construction/45844/

Businesses encouraged to ‘invest to grow’
A campaign by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) that helps businesses boost productivity through investment in innovation, research and development, technology and machinery is launching on 10 September.
https://www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/latest-news/news/2018/8/21/businesses-encouraged-to-invest-to-grow/

Contractors launch first health and safety apprenticeship
Contractors and clients have launched the country’s first Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) apprenticeship
http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/08/20/contractors-launch-first-health-and-safety-apprenticeship/