Implenia, BCL: The construction site waste management of the future

The challenge

Construction sites are among the largest sources of waste in Germany. Waste is traditionally disposed of using diesel-powered lorries, which individually collect the large skips in which the various fractions are collected on site and transport them to decentralised recycling centres. The large number of these individual transports, which usually travel to the construction site empty, cause considerable CO2, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions in addition to traffic, noise and dirt, especially in city centres. All in all, an enormous burden on the environment and the residents directly affected.

Construction logistics expert Frank Reschke from BCL, a subsidiary of Implenia, thought there had to be a better way and developed the idea of a multi-chamber skip that could be used to collect four fractions at once, reducing the number of individual journeys from four (there and back) to one. The BCL/ Implenia team started the Cross Innovation Lab 2021 with this idea and set out to find approaches that could be used to drive forward the realisation of the idea.

Output

It quickly became clear that the construction site and the associated logistics represent an ecosystem of its own, in which there are many different stakeholders and various starting points for dealing with waste in a more sustainable and climate-friendly way. Focussing solely on the multi-chamber skip would therefore be too short-sighted; waste disposal must be considered and changed as a system. This is a mammoth task that can only be accomplished in co-operation with strong partners.

As part of the Cross Innovation Lab, the Implenia/BCL team therefore developed a communication strategy together with the creative minds and explored the question of how the identified stakeholders could be inspired to make construction site waste disposal more sustainable. On the other hand, the optimisation potential of the multi-chamber skip as such, as well as that of the other areas of the construction site, was examined and various participation and potentially suitable business models were investigated.

At the public conclusion of the lab, the call for participation was finally made. Within the company, a project team will continue to drive forward the piloting of the multi-chamber skip as well as the verification of further innovations on construction sites. After all, climate protection is too important for us not to do everything in our power to bring about possible changes. And the really big tasks are best tackled together.

Creative experts: Nicola Bramkamp, Eric Pfromm

People from the company side: Frank Reschke (BCL), Stefanie Kratsch (Implenia), Karel van Eechoud (Implenia), Diana Fischer (Implenia), Nino Salvetti (Implenia)

Format & method

In the Cross Innovation Lab, companies come together in changing constellations over a period of six weeks to work together on product developments in a stimulating environment. Experts from the creative industries are specifically involved in the process.

• Field research: At the beginning, the challenges of the companies are analysed in a new kind of depth in collaboration with creative professionals - and their fresh perspective from the outside.
• Workshop phase: In a total of four workshop/lab days, the companies develop new solutions together with selected creative professionals.
• Feedback loops: Between the labs, a concept review takes place with all participating companies in order to further improve the products through joint feedback and exchange.

In the iterative work process, companies develop new products or product adaptations in a significantly reduced amount of time.