News

Waste-free construction site step closer: collection of scaffolding nets for circular building products launched

27 september 2023

Amsterdam, September 2023 - It is time to close the scaffolding net. From today, the nationwide collection of scaffolding nets as mono-flow starts, with the aim of processing them into recycled plastic and turning them into new, circular building products. This initiative by the circular doers at Brokkenmákers thus prevents hundreds of tonnes of single-use plastic scaffolding nets from being incinerated or landfilled every year after a single use. You can sign up for collection immediately: gpgroot.nl/steigernetten.

Why to recycle scaffolding nets?

In current (scaffolding construction) practice, scaffolding nets, after being used once, often end up among all the other mixed waste in the construction & demolition waste (BSA) container on the construction site or at the scaffolder's premises. The nets are then landfilled or incinerated.

Because of the increasing sustainability of construction, the pursuit of a waste-free construction site and additional sustainable requirements from clients, it is becoming increasingly important to prevent construction waste by collecting it separately as a monostream and reusing it in new products at a high value.

Closing the scaffolding chain

Collecting scaffolding nets as a monostream to then produce recyclate from them is complicated: collection from different construction sites is inefficient due to the featherweight nets, and the nets pose a major challenge to recycling machines due to both contamination and tangle of material. Unfeasible? Brokkenmákers has taken up the challenge and found intrinsically motivated frontrunners in all links of the chain who want to jointly close the scaffolding net chain. With the aim of achieving lasting cooperation between the partners and thus making the construction sector a little more sustainable year after year.

High-quality recyclate & circular building products

In a successful pilot, recycler Plastix A/S has produced high-quality recyclate from 10,000 kilos of collected scaffolding nets thanks to experience in recycling fishing nets. With the extracted plastic recyclate, from autumn 2023, JPI Polymers and Pretty Plastics will conduct product research into circular (scaffolding) construction products, such as chutes and edging boards.

 

Scaffolding net collection starts now: sign up!

Together with Kras Recycling, collector GP Groot has committed to collecting as many scaffolding nets as possible. Coraline Noordzij, project manager at GP Groot: "Our aim is to turn waste into high-quality raw materials. By collecting scaffolding nets separately, they can be made into a good raw material for a second life. Construction as a sector is already making great strides towards the circular economy. With this cooperation, we are taking the next step." 

In collection logistics, scaffold builders and equipment services take back their used scaffolding nets from the construction site as a mono-flow. This way, they collect the nets on their site, so larger volumes are collected by GP Groot at the same time. In this way, we work together in existing logistics to achieve a waste-free construction site and prevent CO2 emissions and material loss. Scaffold builders who are interested can register from now on via gpgroot.nl/steigernetten. GP Groot will get in touch to discuss how the collection can be tailored.

   

About Brokkenmákers

Brokkenmákers is a creative circular concept agency representing the planet and future generations. The agency works in concrete (building) projects to replace the polluting, consuming linear economy by applying the clean circular economy in concrete terms. Brokkenmákers works on its own initiatives and assignments that independently make lasting impact by reducing CO2, saving materials, conserving energy and strengthening biodiversity.

Over de projectpartners 

The project 'Close the scaffolding network' is an initiative of Brokkenmákers in cooperation with GP Groot, Kras Recycling, JPI Polymers, Pretty Plastic, scaffolding network suppliers ARGOS and Bingham and equipment services MDB and BAM Materieel. The project is financially supported by a Circular Chain Projects grant from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management / Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) & grant Space for Sustainable Initiative from the Municipality of Amsterdam.