India to work with Norway to reduce construction waste
Nearly 50% of waste materials in India not being recycled
India will work with Norway to train workers in the handling of construction and demolition waste, it has been announced.
The move comes as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Clean India Campaign, and has been approved by the Government of India.
A memorandum of understanding was recently signed between the Norwegian research institute SINTEF, Norway and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) for cooperation in the development of human resource capability-building and scientific research in the field of Recycling of Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste in India.
SINTEF is Norway’s largest research institute for energy and climate technology. It already has a focus on projects concerning waste management and energy efficiency. The Central Public Works Department in India is responsible for the construction and maintenance of public buildings. It is hoped that the combined knowledge and expertise of the partners will provide results in the near future and help in the ‘Clean India’ campaign launched by the Indian government.
It is estimated that India’s construction industry generates between 10 and 12 million tonnes of waste annually. Nearly 50% of these waste materials are currently not being recycled, experts say.
The main objective of the MoU is to encourage the recycling of construction waste for new purposes, a more energy efficient method, especially when compared to producing materials of new resources.
In addition, the MoU will look to assist in reducing the huge gap in supply and demand in India’s construction industry.
