In a recent position paper, the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) calls for the introduction of EU-wide end-of-waste (EoW) criteria for recycled aggregates in construction. Uniform rules were needed to enhance the acceptance of recycled materials, facilitate cross-border trade and make a significant contribution to decarbonising the construction sector, the umbrella organisation said.
The confederation pointed out that construction and demolition (C&D) waste accounts for almost 40 per cent of total waste arisings in the EU and causes about 12 per cent of EU-wide greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the substantial volumes of potentially recyclable building materials, economic and regulatory barriers were still in place that hindered the shift to greater circularity.
The lack of standardised EU EoW criteria posed challenges, EuRIC noted. While a few member states had already developed national rules, there was a lack of harmonised standards at the EU level. This hindered cross-border trade in recycled building materials and posed a major barrier to their use by public and private building contractors.
Technology-neutral approach to recycled aggregate from mixed demolition material
In the position paper, EuRIC calls for a technology-neutral approach to dismantle these barriers. Recycled aggregates should not come from selective demolition projects, as proposed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC). Instead, they should be able to come from mixed demolition material. While selective demolition projects did yield higher-quality recycled aggregates, they were more costly and time-consuming than traditional demolition. EuRIC warned that the strict requirements proposed by the JRC would drive up processing costs and create an uneven playing field among market players.
In this vein, the confederation also underscored technical progress made over the past decades. European recyclers had developed highly efficient technologies, such as density separators, magnets and eddy current separators, to remove impurities from mixed commercial and demolition waste fractions. These methods could produce similar results to selective demolition projects. A technology-neutral approach permitting all possible methods would ensure that the sector could meet demand for recycled materials. This approach was essential to overcoming the chronic underinvestment faced by the European recycling industry because of demand risks.
Moreover, EuRIC calls for practical standards that envisage a differentiated classification system and limit values for aggregates recycled from waste. The confederation expressed its support for the methodology proposed by the JRC, under which recycled materials would be grouped into homogenous categories according to their origin and chemical composition. This approach offered greater flexibility than a strict one-size-fits-all approach because each class was subject to different limit values based on its specific characteristics and intended use.
Backfilling as permissible intended use for EoW status
Another JRC proposal would see recycled aggregates granted EoW status only when intended for use in bound and unbound construction applications, such as building materials and other infrastructure. However, EuRIC considers this approach too restrictive. In the position paper, the confederation calls for backfilling to be included as a potential intended use for recycled aggregates to achieve EoW status. Other EU member states, including Spain and Italy, already made significant use of recycled aggregates in backfilling operations, such as landscape restoration.
The key factor was that only recycled aggregates that actually met EoW criteria and did not replace other waste-based materials could be used in backfilling. The use of recycled aggregates in backfilling should only be considered if there were no viable alternatives higher in the waste hierarchy. Higher-quality recycling and reuse opportunities should not be undermined by backfilling.
EuRIC also advocates for ambitious green public procurement measures to strengthen demand for recycled construction materials. Since public projects accounted for a significant share of the construction industry, green public procurement could be a lever to promote the use of recycled materials, driving circularity and innovation in the construction sector, the confederation stressed.
