Photo opportunity 2pm, Wednesday 4 September, Bonar Hall, Park Place, University of Dundee.
Empty wine bottles, beer bottles and jam jars. Do you know where do they go after you slot them in the bottle bank? Experts at the University of Dundee are taking Jack McConnell's advice on sustainability from the Earth Summit in Johannesburg and sharing some innovative ways to recycle waste developed in Dundee.
The glass you deposit in the bottle bank may turn up in the concrete foundations of your house if concrete recycling experts at the University of Dundee have their way. Professor Ravindra Dhir, Head of the Concrete Technology Unit and chair of this week's International Concrete Congress in Dundee says: "Concrete made with recycled products is still an excellent building material and in some cases is better than quarried concrete. The government has said this week that our 'throwaway society is unsustainable' and that Scotland should take the lead in recycling its waste. Using waste for concrete is an ideal purpose for recycling as construction not only feeds the consumer economy but builds an infrastructure for developing economies.
The secret is to reconsider the potential of the materials we think are 'waste', look at their properties and treat them as new materials instead of loading them in landfill sites."
Leading experts in construction are discussing innovative ways to reduce costs and energy in construction this week at the University of Dundee as over 550 delegates from 62 countries converge on the University to hear the way forward in concrete construction. Researchers at the University of Dundee's Concrete Technology Unit have developed a process where domestic waste glass and old tyres from cars can be recycled to replace the expensive 'aggregate' component of concrete. Rubble from demolished buildings can also be reused to make new concrete for building.
Dr Moray Newlands at the Concrete Technology Unit explains: "Concrete is essential for building but the aggregate component - rock - is expensive and becoming increasingly so as the government has plans to tax the quarrying. We have been looking at alternatives and found that waste products are an ideal solution as they are cheap and it is good for the environment to recycle resources.
As well as recycling and sustainability, papers will be given at the conference on concrete's ability to resist major impact such as the attack on the World Trade Centre a year ago.
There is enormous international interest in this week's congress with support from three of the world's leading construction organisations: The American Concrete Institute, The Institution of Civil Engineers and The Japan Society for Civil Engineers.
Professor Ravindra Dhir has organised this fifth triennial international congress and is welcoming delegates from some developing countries for the first time. He said: "We have been encouraging delegates from developing countries to attend the conference so they can take advantage of existing knowledge in the construction industry before they begin building their own infrastructure. I am pleased to say that the University of Dundee has managed to help a number of delegates from developing nations to attend through subsidies."
The conference starts on Thursday 5 September until the weekend where it breaks for international visitors to see Scotland and then resumes on Monday until Wednesday 11 September. Delegates will gather at the University of Dundee Bonar Hall and the Baxter Conference suite.
Contact Professor Ravindra Dhir 01382 344347
By Jenny Marra, Press Officer 01382 344910 j.m.marra@dundee.ac.uk