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Environmental policy support for pre-demolition audits in Luxembourg Christina Ehlert1, Arno P. Biwer1, and Enrico Benetto1
1
Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Environmental Policy Support, Department of Environmental Research and Innovation, 41, Rue du Brill, 4422 Belvaux,
Luxembourg, Phone:(+352) 275 888 446; E-mail: christina.ehlert@list.lu Abstract
Luxembourg is witnessing a rapid development in the construction sector including renovation of the existing building stock and due to its small size, the country needs an efficient management of the resulting construction and demolition (C&D) waste. National legal obligations require contractors to carry out an inventory of building materials and to separately collect waste at deconstruction sites. However, no instructions or tools on how to collect information and conduct this pre-demolition inventory are available, resulting in heterogeneity in reporting and lack of transparency of C&D waste management practices in the construction sector in Luxembourg.
Based on a review of best practices and methodologies for pre-demolition audits across EU Member States, policy support instruments were developed to streamline the identification, quantification and characterization of building materials. The development of a template for the inventory and a manual was grounded in a set of principles, such as sustainable development, resource efficiency and proportionality, also to reflect country-specific concerns and priorities.
Identification of hazardous substances and wastes appeared as key element in the pre-demolition audit and was therefore integrated into both tools. Stakeholder participation is considered crucial to test, implement and further improve the tools and a number of initiatives were launched or are planned, such as tests at pilot construction sites and a workshop. To facilitate and maximize recovery of materials in the construction sector, the development of a management tool integrating legal obligations and outlining options for the resource efficient management of building materials is planned. Further, the evolution of the project into the development of a waste management concept for demolition works within a national initiative was identified as a powerful opportunity to further promote a more sustainable management and increased traceability of resources. The tools and intermediate results will be presented.
Keywords: C&D waste management, pre-demolition audit, waste legislation, building material inventory, hazardous waste.
Introduction
The Luxembourgish regulatory framework for waste management, including the national transposition of the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC, includes a legal obligation to collect waste from construction sites separately, to the extent possible, or to sort it at waste treatment facilities if it cannot be separated at source (Law of 21 March 2012). It also stipulates the need for pre-demolition audits, including the inventory of construction materials, and their treatment according to the waste hierarchy. However, no instructions or tools on how to collect information and conduct this pre-demolition inventory have been made available so far, resulting in uncertainty about compliance with regulatory requirements. The competent authority aims at supporting practitioners and commissioned the
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development of tools for pre-demolition audits. This study presents how templates for material inventories and instructions were developed based on existing guidelines and current practices. Draft outcomes and planned activities to further support sustainable deconstruction and waste management are outlined.
Methods
Literature review. Instructions how to conduct a material inventory and how to fill out a material inventory template were developed taking into account existing practices, technical guides and guidelines for planning deconstruction works, material inventories and C&D waste management in EU Member States. The review focused on German and French literature to enable practitioners in Luxembourg to obtain further information on existing practices in two of the official and prevalent languages in Luxembourg. Key documentation in English was also considered.
Legislative requirements in neighbouring countries were analysed with respect to pre-demolition audits and material separation for deconstruction projects to consider country-specific guidelines in relation to their regulatory context. For example, if national requirements include the systematic separate collection of certain type of materials or fractions, this could explain why existing guidelines support practitioners to fulfil these requirements.
Stakeholder consultation. The main stakeholders involved in the planning and conduct of pre-demolition audits and C&D waste management in Luxembourg were identified and interviews were conducted with some of them to better understand their experience and challenges. A multi-stakeholder workshop will be organized in cooperation with the competent authority in autumn 2017 for practitioners, building owners, and other interested parties to explain the tools and gather input for their improvement. It is also planned to test the tools on pilot construction sites, most likely in public development projects.
Results
Literature review. The following documentation was identified as relevant for the development of the template for the material inventory and its accompanying instructions (Tab. 1). With respect to the investigation of building materials for contamination with hazardous substances, dedicated guidelines are referenced. The aim of this review is to refer practitioners to established practices for further information in their mother tongue. Overall, German language literature covers all aspects of demolition projects which are relevant for this project whereas a focus on waste management was observed for French language literature and less documentation appears to be available regarding methodologies for material inventories, pollutant examination, planning and pre-demolition audits.
Development of Template and Instructions. The developed inventory template comprises three elements, i.e. i) the description of the building, its location and past and present uses, ii) the material inventory, and iii) the investigation of the building for the occurrence of pollutants. Explanations how to gather relevant information are outlined in the accompanying instructions. The compilation of the template encompasses the collection and examination of existing information (e.g. plans of the building and its site, drawings, previous examinations and analyses), site visit(s) to collect further information (e.g. on the type, quality and quantity of materials), and potentially further measurements and analyses to determine the extent of contamination of suspected materials (BRE, 2017; Deutscher Abbruchverband, 2015; VDI, 2013 and 2016).
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Regarding the material inventory it is explained how material quantities can be estimated and which information should be provided, such as nature of the material (inert, hazardous, non-hazardous), types, quality (clean, slightly/strongly commingled), location in the building, quantity (in tonnes), contamination (yes/no), separate collection (yes/no), and recommended treatment (e.g. reuse, recycling, energy recovery). The inventory uses the classification of materials according the European Waste Code (Commission Decision 2000/532/EC). The latter was identified as the most widespread classification across countries. Assessment of the suitability of materials for valorisation outlets is particularly important for planning the deconstruction process and managing resource-efficiency and environmental impacts. Therefore, this aspect was included in the template although it might be considered as beyond the scope of an inventory.
The investigation of building materials for contamination with hazardous substances uses a checklist for the most commonly encountered pollutants in construction materials, such as asbestos, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH), and harmful wood preservatives.
Stakeholder consultation. Interviews with stakeholders allowed understanding the main challenges of pre-demolition audits and waste management: Identification of pollutants, space issues, lack of knowledge in the compilation of material inventories were most often mentioned.
Conclusions
The developed tools aim at supporting stakeholders in fulfilling legal requirements with respect to pre-demolition material inventories and potentially also material separation. To promote planning of the deconstruction process, material separation and the resource-efficient and sustainable valorisation of materials after deconstruction, a workshop with stakeholders will be organized in autumn 2017. Feedback from stakeholders and testing of the tools on deconstruction sites are necessary to improve the usefulness of the tools. With respect to improved material recycling, more intensive collaboration with other actors is envisaged to develop waste management concepts for demolition works.
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