Page 10 - Open-Access-Jan-2020

point of view

The selling prices of secondary construction products is largely
following the same trend as primary ones as long as recycled
aggregates are well characterised and fit for purpose.

Taking into account the local market conditions including the
competition from non-recycling activities, economic viability of
CDW recycling can be synthesised as follows:

LOCaL MaRKEt LaNdfILL taxES aNd GatE fEES fOR
CONdItIONS INCOMING CdW
LOW HIGH
Average Low Poor economic Economic
aggregates viability of viability but no Figure 5: CDW recycling plant in a semi-urban area, Pietrasanta
selling price recycling development of (Tuscany, Italy) ©Pescale S.p.a., 2002.
quality recycling
In this regard, public perception, awareness and acceptance
High Economic viability High economic
with development viability and of CDW recycled materials and activities must be addressed
of quality recycling development by authorities and opinion leaders in order to emerge from
but subject to of recycling the ‘ecological paradox’ where, recycling is openly supported
regular capitation quantitatively in principle, but recycling activities and recycled products
of CDW and qualitatively are simultaneously and systematically decried; both of these
behaviours being justified by environmental concerns.
This largely explains the diversity of the level of development
of CDW recycling activities in the EU and even within the EU 4.3 total Quality Management of CDw
countries themselves, beyond the regulatory aspects alone or Recycling, an Essential Confidence-Building
the level of sector’s awareness . tool
27
Beyond environmental management, CDW recycling companies
4.2 the Challenge of Acceptance of CDw shall conduct total quality management policy according to
Recycling Activities and Products: the international standards , which ensures quality of products,
28
‘ecological Paradox’ transparency and traceability along the processes and
encompasses health and safety management towards workers
Clearly, one of the main ways to ensure the economic viability and local residents.
of a CDW collection and recycling business is to place
the operation close to an urban area that is very active in This total quality management requires full command of the
construction and demolition. incoming CDW through identification and recording of origins
and natures after physical inspection at the entrance. To avoid
In this regard, it is essential that local authorities reserve pollution of recyclable CDW, operators shall contract common
sufficient space to CDW recycling facilities in urban areas procedures with demolishers who feed their recycling facilities
through anticipation of the needs in their urban planning in order to guarantee selective sorting and hazardous waste
documents and by issuing operating permits accordingly. exclusion on demolition yards.

This raises the issue of the acceptance of such a basic industrial Harmonised European standards that apply to primary materials
activity among urban or suburban communities whereas also apply to CDW recycled materials. Construction Products
handling CDW and other bulk mineral materials cannot be Regulation (CPR) lays down harmonised rules for the marketing
29
welcomed with its associated potential environmental nuisances of construction products in the EU. It provides a common
such as lorry traffic, noise and dust and even the suspicion of technical language to assess the performance of construction
hazardous waste such as, for example, asbestos. To overcome products. CDW recycled materials must be assessed in
the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) effect against these activities, accordance with requirements of European product standards,
operators must conduct a genuine company policy with respect when covered by them. Recycled aggregates are placed on the
to environmental protection and concertation towards nearby market with their Declaration of Performance (DoP) and have to
residents. be CE-marked to increase transparency.

27 Bilsen V., Debergh P., Kallay T. K., Laureysens I., Meindert L., Nemlen D., Pollitt H., Sørensen S. Y., Szuppinger P., Van Acoleyen M., Vanderreydt I.,
Vermeulen J. (2014) Analysis of certain waste streams and the potential of Industrial Symbiosis to promote waste as a resource for EU Industry.
28 Quality management systems such as ISO 9000, and environmental management systems such as ISO 14001 and EMAS, occupational health and
safety at work management systems such as ISO 45001.

14 The IndIan ConCreTe Journal | JanuarY 2020