Construction & Demolition Waste Management Policies for Improved Resource Efficiency and Sustainability

Dear Colleagues,

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is the heaviest and most voluminous waste stream generated in developed countries, accounting for about one third of all waste produced. It arises from activities such as the construction and the total or partial demolition of buildings and civil infrastructure, road planning and maintenance. C&D waste consists of numerous materials, including concrete, bricks, gypsum, wood, glass, metals, plastic, solvents, asbestos, and excavated soil, many of which have a high resource value and can be recycled. In particular, there is a re-use market for aggregates derived in roads, drainage, and other construction projects. If not separated at source, C&D waste can contain small amounts of hazardous wastes, the mixture of which can pose particular risks to the environment and can hamper recycling. Technology for the separation and recovery of construction and demolition waste is well established, readily accessible, and in general inexpensive. Despite its potential, the level of recycling and material recovery of C&D waste varies greatly across the European Union (EU), as do the relevant definitions applied throughout Europe, which make comparisons and territorial cooperation cumbersome. C&D waste has been identified as a priority waste stream by the European Union, and at the end of 2016 (revised in February 2017), the European Commission introduced an EU Construction and Demolition Waste Protocol, as non-binding guidelines toward the industry, public authorities at local, regional, national, and EU levels and other stakeholders. Its aim is to increase confidence in the C&D waste management process and trust in the quality of C&D waste recycled materials, as a priority component of the EU Circular Economy package. This presents a very important challenge to public authorities in terms of properly managing this waste (including the correct handling of hazardous waste), but also an opportunity to promote the use of secondary raw materials. More particularly, EU territorial administrations are called to put in place the appropriate policy and framework conditions for successful C&D waste management in key areas of public action, such as regulatory frameworks for recycling, including the correct financial/economic incentives; public procurement; selection of sites and facilities, and relevant permits; enforcement by monitoring the correct use and implementation of permits; awareness, public perception, and acceptance. It is important in all advanced countries to encourage the proliferation of infrastructures and methods for the recycling and reuse of C&D waste materials.

For all of the above reasons, we encourage researchers to share their original work in the field of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste. Topics of primary interest include but are not limited to:

• Improved C&D waste management resource efficiency;
• Circular economy model on C&D waste management;
• Construction waste management techniques;
• Regional experiences in construction and demolition waste management;
• Case studies in construction and demolition waste management;
• Environment and resource efficiency;
• Public perception;
• Financial/economic incentives.

Dr. Javier Cárcel-Carrasco
Guest Editor

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• Construction and demolition waste management
• Construction waste management techniques
• Environment and resource efficiency
• Waste management resource efficiency； Regional experiences
• Environmental sciences
• Circular economy
• Recycling
• Energy cycle
• Work safety in demolition
• Methods for recycling and reuse
• Industrial sustainability