Zero Waste to Landfill

Kristín Sigurjónsdóttir, Environmental Coordinator5-May-2006

Kristín Sigurjónsdóttir 5-May-2006Environmental Coordinator on Zero By-Products to Landfill...

We at the Fjarðaál Project don’t look at our by-products as waste since we know that most of our by-product can be reused or recycled. One of the goals of the Fjarðaál Project is to put no by-products into landfill. Key to achieving this goal is segregating all by-products from the construction and support services and sending it to the appropriate recycling facilities. By minimizing by-products to landfill we are minimizing the project’s effect on the environment.

By-products are segregated into proper containers on the construction site. Household by-products are collected from offices, lunch rooms and the FTV and segregated into appropriate segregation bins. Most of the segregated products are sent for recycling in South West Iceland where it is reused and recycled by certified companies in the field. By doing this we add value to what would otherwise be put to landfill and increasing our environmental impact.

We actively seek to raise awareness of segregation of by-products and the effects they have on the environment, within the Fjarðaál Project Team. By-product segregation is promoted in employee training sessions, on meetings on the construction site and in on-site training. In doing this we try to create a culture for by-product segregation. It is our hope that this culture will spread out into the community, leaving a legacy of environmental awareness after the construction is complete.

Furthermore, we have shared our vision of Zero By-products to Landfill with the younger generation in neighbouring communities. I have had the opportunity to meet with students in the Reyðarfjörður Elementary School and the Vocational School in Neskaupsstaður and my hope is that more schools will show their interest in environmental issues and segregation of by-products.

My vision is that at completion of the project we will be leaving the minimal of by-products in the landfill as possible and that we have raised awareness of environmental protection in the community.


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