Cooperation between «Urban Communities» and «Zero Carbon» to recycle building and demolition waste in new cities

The New Urban Communities Authority and Zero Carbon Sustainable Development Company signed a protocol of cooperation regarding the recycling of building and demolition waste and drilling outcomes in new cities, which was witnessed by Engineer Sherif El-Sherbiny, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities. The protocol stipulates that the first phase of the project will start with the Homeland Project Services in New Cairo City, encompassing 135 acres.

The protocol was signed by Engineer Karim Al-Saba and Engineer Amin Ghoneim, Vice-President of the Authority for the Development and Cities Development Sector.

In the context of the massive urban renaissance that the Egyptian state has witnessed during the administration of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Engineer Sherif El-Sherbiny stated: “We waited a lot to see this day, to crown the continuous cooperation of the work group to achieve this great achievement in the field of construction waste recycling, demolition and drilling outcomes. We look forward to more cooperation in the future in a number of important files.”

The Minister of Housing clarified that this project is a first for the Egyptian market and fits into the Ministry’s efforts to improve the system of waste treatment, recycling, and safe, final disposal as mediated by the New Urban Communities Authority.

He went on to say that the project is beneficial in many ways, including the environment, the economy, and other areas. It also carries out the political leadership’s directives to optimize the benefits of recycling construction and demolition waste and producing materials needed for road development. Additionally, it maximizes the value of the land after it has been cleared of waste and ready for development projects.

Dr. Walid Abbas, Vice -Chairman of the New Urban Communities Authority for the Planning and Projects Sector – the supervisor of the Minister of Housing, added that the project aims to produce the so -called green material – the material that is generated from  recycling – for use in road projects, which contributes to saving up significant financial costs (the cost of extracting crude from different quarries – the cost of subsidizing diesel fuel), as well as the preservation of real estate wealth, and the maximization of the use of lands that are cleared from the waste.

Engineer Amin Ghoneim, Vice -President of the Authority for the Development and City Development Sector, pointed out that the volume of demolition and construction waste to be treated and recycled in the plot of land with an area of ​​135 acres in the Services Area at ​​the Homeland Project in New Cairo City, is estimated at about 3.3 million m3 material, where the material resulting from recycling will be produced in size 6 cm according to the Egyptian code, the standard specifications of the product, and the recommendations issued by the National Center for Housing and Building Research.

The CEO of the company, Engineer Karim Al-Saba, said that the average amount of diesel fuel used to extract, produce, and break a m3 material from the quarries is 2.5 liters. This figure also includes the amount of diesel fuel required to transport the m3 material to the city of New Cairo. For the m3 material , the average amount of diesel fuel  used is 5.5 liters.

The average diesel consumption for recycling demolitions and construction waste and the production of m3 material  is about 1.5 liters, which leads to saving up  more than 70 % of the amount of diesel needed to produce and transport the m3 material from the waste.

According to him, the company’s work strategy for the project involves operating several crushers and moving equipment to treat construction waste, as well as producing the green material, which is used in road paving and construction. All of these activities positively support the state’s efforts to transition to a sustainable economy, achieve optimal resource exploitation, preserve the wealth that the state has amassed over the past few years, and complete massive real estate and residential projects.