Construction waste is not trash. What should you keep in mind when “disposing of” old tiles, natural stone, and other mineral-based recyclable materials, packaging, or hazardous waste, and how can waste be prevented in the workplace and on the construction site?
The Construction Site as a Source of Resources
Natural stone companies deal with waste, packaging, and hazardous waste on a daily basis—whether in the office, warehouse, workshop, or on the construction site. For example, when replacing balcony tiles at a customer’s site, several types of demolition materials are generated at once: old tiles along with adhering adhesive, grout and sealant, mortar, bitumen, and plaster residues, construction debris, and general waste. After unpacking the new tiles, packaging materials such as cardboard boxes, plastic film, and Styrofoam pile up. Once the construction project is complete, empty silicone cartridges and cans of installation foam remain, in addition to leftover tile adhesive and grout. This repeatedly leads to uncertainty about how to properly “dispose of” everything.
The construction sector is the most resource- and waste-intensive sector of the economy. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2018, construction and demolition waste—at approximately 228 and 219 million metric tons, respectively—accounted for the majority (about 54 percent) of Germany’s total gross waste generation. A significant portion of this was mineral waste, which, according to a recently published monitoring report by the Construction Recycling Industry Association, was recycled “environmentally soundly” in about 90 percent of cases as excavated soil and mineral raw materials.
The 6.4 percent of mixed construction waste—equivalent to about 14 million metric tons—posed a problem. Of this, only 1.8 percent was recycled. The remainder was disposed of in other ways—i.e., incinerated, used as backfill, or landfilled—and thus removed from the recycling loop, even though mixed construction waste also contains recyclable metals and plastics. Given the enormous quantities involved, construction and demolition waste plays a crucial role in achieving a closed-loop, resource-efficient, and sustainability-oriented circular economy.
Three Goals for Waste Management
In managing waste, the construction industry has therefore set three goals: first, to prevent its generation as much as possible—for example, by preserving existing building stock and designing structures for long-term use. Second, to keep unavoidable waste within the economic cycle—for example, through design suitable for recycling, construction site operations optimized for recycling, and demolition practices. Third, to limit the disposal of construction and demolition waste to the necessary extent and to carry it out in an environmentally sound manner. This is intended to conserve natural resources and landfill space, protect the environment, and support national and European goals, such as the Circular Economy Act or the European Waste Framework Directive.
What can everyone do?
The above goals can only be achieved through the joint efforts of everyone involved in construction. Tradespeople can do a great deal both within their own companies and on construction sites, where large quantities of various types of waste are generated: material scraps, waste from operating supplies, packaging, and hazardous waste. However, the best kind of waste is the kind that isn’t produced in the first place. This starts with purchasing: Those who buy materials thoughtfully, so that little is left over, generate less waste.
Natural stone and tiles, adhesives, grout, and fasteners, as well as impregnating agents, insulating materials, and insulation left over from a project can be used in the next job or offered online through exchange or surplus marketplaces such as bauteilnetz.de, restado.de, or natursteinpark.de. Historic building products or valuable construction materials recovered during demolition can also be reused directly or “upcycled” into new products (e.g., www.stonethica.com).
Making Optimal Use of What’s Available
Well-organized inventory management helps make the best use of what’s available. Materials, building materials, equipment, and supplies used within the company should be reviewed and, where appropriate, replaced with environmentally friendly alternatives or reused multiple times—for example, drop cloths or paint buckets. There is no such thing as a “zero-waste” business or construction site. Therefore, the collection, storage, and disposal of waste should be planned and organized so as not to hinder workflows, to save costs, and, last but not least, to comply with legal requirements.
In addition to determining what types of waste are generated, when, and in what quantities—especially at new construction sites—it is important to clarify in a timely manner how and where waste should best be collected and who is responsible for doing so. According to the Commercial Waste Ordinance, waste generated at businesses and on construction sites must be sorted by type on-site and stored in separate containers. However, this requires reserving space, organizing removal, acquiring the necessary knowledge, and motivating employees.
Read more in STEIN 8/2021.
