Pohjola Rakennus carefully collects the clear plastic film that accumulates at its construction site in Kera, Espoo. Even the separate collection of 21 kilos of plastic film benefits the environment, and it is estimated that almost 80 times that amount will accumulate at the apartment building construction site.
An old industrial and logistics area along the railway line in Espoo is being transformed into the Kera residential area. The area will be developed into a circular economy demonstration area, where various sustainable solutions will be tested already in the design and construction stages.
Pohjola Rakennus Oy Suomi is contracting for the construction of 80 apartments for Espoo Asunni in Keras. Clear plastic film is collected separately at the Viilivati 15 construction site.
“An active urban development site like Kera is a good place to try out plastic film collection,” Project Manager at Pohjola Construction Mikko Kivinen toteaa.
The background to the separate collection experiment at Pohjola Building is KERA's development work, where a variety of events have been organized and information shared in collaboration with the area's landowners, developers and the City of Espoo. Separate collection of plastic film has been included in the themes of the events.
Knowledge leads to action
"It is gratifying to see how the information we provide leads to practical actions," said the Standardization and Product Manager responsible for the implementation of the Plastic Roadmap at RT. Tuuli Kunnas says.
The municipality told the developers of the area in joint meetings that separate collection of plastic films makes sense from an environmental perspective when more than 21 kilograms of plastic film are collected. This was revealed in the Construction Plastics Recycling and Piloting project. The amount is already exceeded in a building with 70 square meters of floor space. In Viilivati 5, which has approximately 500 square meters of floor space, the calculated amount of plastic film is 15 kilograms.
Plastic film used in packaging and interior protection in construction often ends up as energy waste, even though it contains valuable recycling potential. When recycled, plastic film returns to the market as products, while reducing emissions from incineration.
The most plastic film is accumulated in interior work
At the Viilivati 15 construction site, clear plastic film has been collected throughout the construction site. The collection container has been replaced as needed. The site is currently in the interior work phase, which is also the most intensive phase of plastic film accumulation.
The plastic film is transported from the work sites to a pallet in the yard by the construction site's own cleaner. The cleaner is responsible for sorting the plastic film onto the pallet. Alternatively, some subcontractors take and sort their own waste.
Site foreman Thomas Lindroos says that the Kera construction site also has plenty of space for separate collection of plastic films. On many construction sites, the lack of space can make it difficult to organize separate collection and at least affect the collection equipment used. At the Kera construction site, the plastic films on the pallet have been pressed together with a front-end loader, and there has been no need for a press.
According to Lindroos, separate collection practices have been discussed in orientation and occupational safety sessions.
"We've done it now, do it again," Kivinen and Lindroos challenge other construction sites. They hope that RT will raise awareness among its members about new initiatives such as plastic wrap and provide information on waste management and the circular economy.
Text: Tuuli Kunnas
Photos: Jyrki Vesa
RT signed in December 2020 construction plastics green deal agreement. The aim of the agreement is to optimise the consumption of plastic films and increase the reuse and recycling of plastics. Individual companies can also make their own commitment, and several RT member companies have already done so. RT's role is to provide information and promote the responsible use of plastics in companies in various ways.