Page 8 - Open-Access-Jan-2020

point of view

efficiency, environmental performance and competitiveness of fractions, by investing and innovating in CDW recycling facilities
the construction sector and therefore, re-using, recycling and/ sufficiently spread over the whole EU territory.
or recovering construction and demolition waste represent a
valuable business opportunity for the construction value chain. 4. how Is CoNstRUCtIoN & DeMoLItIoN
wAste ReCyCLINg ChANgINg PRACtICes
Then, the Communication ‘on Resource Efficiency Opportunities
in the Building Sector’ states the objective to promote a more IN the CoNstRUCtIoN seCtoR?
20
efficient use of resources consumed by new and renovated The experience in CDW recycling, i.e. regenerating new
buildings and to reduce their overall impact throughout the (secondary) construction materials from them has started in
full life cycle, by, for example, reducing construction waste and urban areas facing locally a double shortage of aggregates
recycling/re-using materials and products so that less is sent to production and landfilling possibilities. Therefore, the very
landfill. first benefit in CDW recycling has been lying in the logistics
optimisation it enables. By reducing distances both for
Since 2015, the European Union has developed the Circular aggregates supplying and for CDW discarding, recycling
Economy Package , which has given an impulse for the means transportation cost savings and environmental impacts
21
implementation of measures to promote a more efficient use of reduction: road traffic, greenhouse gas emissions, etc. 26
resources in the construction sector encompassing effective, and
sound recycling of CDW. In concrete terms, practical tools have Since the very beginning of CDW recycling, operators have
been developed with stakeholders from the EU countries and always been facing the triple challenge of:
the construction sector to give efficient and positive guidance
to EU countries’ authorities and industrial practitioners in order l setting CDW stockpiles and processing plants in urban
to achieve the WFD’s target of 70% of CDW being recovered by areas close to construction and demolition yards;
2020 all other the EU: l regular supplies of non-hazardous recyclable CDW
according to their own processing and selling capacities
l Guidelines for the waste audits before demolition and and the highly variable activity of demolition yards;
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renovation works of buildings , which provide good
practice instructions for the assessment of construction and l obtaining sufficient financial yield from their business
demolition waste streams prior to demolish or renovate through the CDW gate fees and/or revenues from sales of
buildings in order to facilitate the reuse of materials, high- recycled materials.
quality recycling, and the safe processing of hazardous By trial and error, operators in CDW recycling have developed
substances;
solutions to cope with these challenges and to adjust their
l EU Construction & Demolition Waste Management CDW discarding service and their offer in recycled construction
Protocol , which is a voluntary industry-wide covenant products to their local market conditions.
23
boosting quality high-value recycling in the demolition
sector and building confidence in recycled materials; 4.1 economic viability of CDw Recycled
Aggregates for Construction
l Study on fostering investment and innovation in
construction and demolition waste recycling infrastructure The CDW discarding service is paid through gate fees and they
with ready-to-use business models to ease project sponsors are directly proportionated to the local cost or opportunities
and investors’ business cases in this field . for landfilling. To fully implement the circular economy and
24
‘close the loop’ in the construction sector, prohibition of the
These tools should help reap the full potential of CDW to disposal of recyclable CDW should be firmly enforced to ensure
contribute to a circular economy, recycling not only the a consistent and affordable resource in secondary raw materials
quantitatively dominant mineral fractions, but also more valuable for recycling facilities.

20 Communication COM(2014)445final ‘on resource efficiency opportunities in the building sector’
21 Communication COM(2015)614final ‘Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy’ COM(2015)614final
22 Guidelines for the waste audits before demolition and renovation works of buildings, https://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/construction_
demolition.htm
23 EU Construction and Demolition Waste Protocol, Brussels, https://ec.europa.eu/growth/content/eu-construction-and-demolition-waste-protocol-0_en
24 IDEA Consult, Arcadis, Van Ostaeyen Consulting, Ecorys Brussels, DTI, VITO, RECF, (2018) Development and implementation of initiatives fostering
investment and innovation in construction and demolition waste recycling infrastructure. Final Report. Prepared for the European Commission, DG
GROW.
26 Basuyau V. (2004) Recyclage et logistique des matériaux lors des opérations d’entretien routier.

12 The IndIan ConCreTe Journal | JanuarY 2020