Future-oriented waste disposal

“I have always been irritated by how inefficient waste disposal on construction sites is,” says Frank Reschke. At the moment, a truck driver charged with disposing of building rubble etc. has to transport a separate skip from the construction site for each type of waste. “This results in a lot of journeys, which is not particularly environmentally friendly and adds to traffic congestion, noise and nitric oxide emissions, ultimately making cities worse places to live.” Frank’s innovation, the multi-chamber skip (MKM), is a contribution not only to more efficient construction site management, but also to a more climate-friendly future.

From January to June 2021, Frank and a team of Implenia and BCL staff took part in the Cross Innovation Lab in Hamburg, an interdisciplinary discussion on the development of sustainable innovations. There they developed the idea further and discussed how other areas of the construction site can be made more sustainable and efficient.

Alongside the Cross Innovation Lab, Frank was able to agree with the Implenia Purchasing department to collaborate with a local waste disposal company for a pilot project in Hamburg, in which the MHM is to be built, used and validated for the first time. “The idea behind the pilot project is to demonstrate that the multi-chamber skip works – and how exactly it works,” says Frank.

Implenia as a pioneer in sustainability

Frank Reschke’s family background also helped him to make his idea, which had been developing in his head for years, a reality. A father of three children, he became acutely aware that everyone can do their bit for a more sustainable future. “We ourselves have the opportunity to make positive changes. We don’t have to wait until the state or someone else does it for us.”

To put a figure on it, Frank’s innovation reduces costs by 67%, emissions by 64% and time required by 70% compared to the old system. The multi-chamber skip (MKM) system also plays a key role in meeting five of the twelve Implenia sustainability targets. Frank’s idea thus supports Implenia’s strategy to position itself as a pioneer of sustainability.

Innovation Hub as engine and supporter

The construction engineer really enjoys working with the Implenia Innovation Hub. “It is so important for the staff that they have a way to submit their ideas and track what happens to them,” says Frank. It was the Innovation Hub that motivated him to put his idea into practice in the first place, he says. But submitting an idea also means investing a huge amount of both work and leisure time in it, and it is not always easy to combine this work with one’s “normal” role, Frank continues. “The support of the expert contacts who can be counted on in the Kickbox process is priceless.”

You can find out more about the concept of Frank’s multi-chamber skip (MKM) on his Kickbox page