Construction waste is classified as special and its recycling is a very topical topic for the issue of sustainability, even for those who do not work in the sector. The situation from this point of view is not at all rosy: a lot of construction waste is produced and, of these, little is actually recycled. To put it more concretely, the construction and demolition sector in Europe produces 374 million tonnes of waste (excluding excavated earth). And in Italy the music does not change: ISPRA reveals that in 2019 there were 57 million construction waste, including that defined as hazardous, such as waste containing asbestos (68%).
Yet the recycling and disposal of construction waste involves many products: waste from the processing of materials and components, wrappers or packages of paper and cardboard, asphalt, bricks, wood, bricks, concrete, excavation residues polluted by hazardous substances and water resulting from processing. The products of the demolition of a house, such as concrete, are also recyclable: these can produce aggregates, gravel, roads and much more. In addition, all metals can be recycled, just as all organic waste can be converted into biogas or soil.
Creating a circular economy in construction is possible: there are, in fact, innovative methods for managing this waste. From the waste it is possible to obtain concrete materials, which can be mixed, and therefore used directly for construction and filling. Recent experiments envisage the possibility that purified leachates (liquids that are deposited on the basis of inert landfills) are used in hydraulic binders, i.e. the fluid part necessary to make the mixture, allowing each element that makes up the inert waste management chain to be reused.
Another possibility, already cleared by countries such as Denmark, is the reuse of bricks. Even before the concept of efficient construction waste management became widespread, Denmark had already thought of Rebrick, from “brick”. This is a project that intends to recover the bricks from the demolition: sorted automatically, separated and cleaned, they are then used for new constructions. The project has had such positive effects on the environment that it has avoided the emission of 2 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere per brick!
In Italy, when it comes to construction waste, landfills are preferred in most cases and recovery is not widespread. Ispra 2019 data indicate that 75.7% of non-hazardous waste is disposed of in landfills for inert waste, 20.4% in landfills for non-hazardous waste and the remaining 3.9% in landfills for hazardous waste. Why? This happens because in our country there are several problems related to this activity.
Although landfill disposal is not the preferable solution, this option is chosen because, first of all, there is no organic and widespread supply of plants, to such an extent that the ANCE (National Association of Building Builders) has put forward proposals to encourage the recovery and purchase of materials and to improve information on these issues. The shortage of plants is such that around 3.1 million tonnes of our waste is exported abroad, mainly to Germany, at a very high cost. Not only that, secondary raw materials necessary for Italian industry such as metal waste for the steel mills of Lombardy and Friuli Venezia Giulia, come from abroad: we are talking about 6.6 million tons.
A further obstacle is also the lack of resources and facilities for businesses. To simplify the recycling activity, it is advisable for companies to start selectively distinguishing waste where possible during the demolition phase: the more homogeneous it is, the more optimal the recycling results will be. In the construction sector, however, this is no small feat, since, especially demolition waste, is very uneven. Opting for selective demolition, on the one hand, can reduce the costs and subsequent difficulties of recycling, making it easier to reuse the material even in the same building field; on the other hand, it requires costs. Often, in fact, it is necessary to resort to specialized machines that have a high cost and not all companies are able to support it, especially with the idea of making a large investment without a return, at least equal.
However, embracing the choice of recycling with the right investment is possible by entrusting the entire disposal cycle to a competent company registered in the Register of Environmental Managers such as Eurocorporation. Our company offers a service with roll-off containers directly at the place of production, or more containers for the storage of waste together with the relative exchange operation, with collection of the full tank and the positioning of the vacuum. All following the regulations and ensuring the highest quality of service. From the outset, it will be possible to observe a reduction in waste disposal costs: recycling, in fact, can also be advantageous to reduce the purchase costs of natural inert materials that have an increasing price.
