Construction and demolition waste management protocol
The “Construction and Demolition Waste Protocol and Guidelines” is a document published by the European Commission in the year 2018, to give a useful tool to the different countries of the UE to achieve the goal of establishing a circular economy in construction regarding the waste management.
It is part of the European Commission’s Circular Economy Package and fits within the Construction 2020 strategy, as well as the Communication on Resource Efficiency Opportunities in the Building Sector.
Based on volume, Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste is the largest waste stream in the EU (represents about one-third of all waste produced). The Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC aims to have 70% of Construction and Demolition waste recycled by 2020. However, except for a few EU countries, only about 50% of C&D waste is currently being recycled.
Furthermore, one of the common hurdles to recycling and re-using Construction and Demolition Waste in the EU is the lack of confidence in the quality of C&D recycled materials. There is also uncertainty about the potential health risk for workers using recycled C&D materials. This lack of confidence reduces and restricts the demand for C&D recycled materials, which inhibits the development of C&D waste management and recycling infrastructures in the EU.
For all this reason, the European Commission decided to elaborate the Construction and Demolition waste protocol in cooperation with various target groups of stakeholders in the waste management process representing the 28 EU countries:
- Industry practitioners: construction contractors (including renovation companies and demolition contractors), construction product manufacturers, waste treatment, transport and logistics, and recycling companies
- Public authorities at local, regional, national, and EU levels
- Quality certification bodies for buildings and infrastructures
- Clients of construction and demolition recycled materials
- Workshops: Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol in 6 EU capitals
The aim of the protocol is to establish the guidelines for the proper management of C&D waste and recycled materials, including the correct handling of hazardous waste, to increase confidence in the construction and demolition waste management process and the trust in the quality of the resultant recycled materials.
According to the document, this will be achieved by taking the following actions:
- Improved waste identification, source separation, and collection
- Improved waste logistics
- Improved waste processing
- Achieving a quality waste management
- Establishing appropriate policy and framework conditions
The Construction and Demolition waste protocol includes good practices from across the EU that can be sources of inspiration for both policymakers and practitioners, as well as an overview of definitions and a checklist for practitioners.
The protocol states that preliminary assessment is an essential part of construction and demolition waste management, and it provides a methodology for this assessment to support national authorities in achieving the EU 2020 target for CDW recycling.
Moreover, the protocol exposes the most important benefits that it intends to generate in the construction and demolition waste and recycled materials sector:
- Increase the demand for construction and demolition recycled materials
- The promotion of new business activities and stakeholders in the waste infrastructure sector
- Increase the cooperation along the construction and demolition waste value chain
- Progress towards meeting construction and demolition waste targets
- Progress towards harmonised EU markets for construction and demolition recycled materials
- Generate reliable construction and demolition waste statistics across the EU
- Reduce environmental impacts and contribute to resource efficiency
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