Still big differences in the readiness to recycle in Europe
The recycling quota for construction and demolition waste is on average to be increased to 70 % of the waste produced until 2020 in the 25 EU. In construction the readiness to recycle differs remarkably in Europe. In Austria, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands a recycling quota of more than 70 % was stated. However, potentials are still available in the remaining European states. Altogether approx. two thirds of the waste are produced in the fields of construction, demolition, mining and extraction of stones and earths. This waste consists predominantly of mineral waste. Thus it is the aim to produce high-quality construction products of construction waste in the sense of a closed cycle.
Markets for quality-assured recycled building materials
The fields of application of recycled building materials are wide-ranging. So far recycled building materials have been used in the construction of roads, road foundations and sports grounds, for noise protection walls, earth banks and in landscape construction. They are also increasingly used as aggregates in the concrete and stone production.
By controlling the quality of recycled building materials on the basis of technological test criteria a high quality and an excellent suitability of them are ensured. In addition, recycled building materials produced in modern processing plants are more economic than primary building materials.
The success story in the field of quality-assured recycling of building materials shows a high marketability of these products also as compared to natural stones in many European countries such as Austria, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Switzerland. This is proved by their rising acceptance and demand by clients and authorities. In carrying through infrastructural measures in particular high-quality as well as economically beneficial recycled building materials are regularly used.
25 years of experience of the RAL quality community in Germany show: at the beginning 87 million tons of unused mineral wastes are now processed into 78 million tons of high-quality mineral recycling products.
Security for suppliers and users by quality control
As a matter of course, the pollution limits for drinking water fixed in the EU Drinking Water Directive 1998 have also to be considered. Against this background recycled building materials used in road construction and civil engineering are checked for their environmental compatibility to give the customers the guarantee of a certified ecological product.
EQAR through its member associations offers for this purpose a neutral quality assurance by means of respective certification methods with a current control.
It is the aim to produce recycled building material of an unchanged high quality in a secure and low-cost process.
EQAR – Engagement for quality of recycled building materials
EQAR supports its members in ensuring high-quality standards of their products.
As a lobbyist of European recycling of building materials EQAR makes efforts to reach a high quality of the quality-controlled recycled building materials in the sense of the environmental and resources protection. This involves also the establishment of a European quality-assurance system for recycled building materials.
The longstanding experience and high competence of our European member associations and companies are concentrated in EQAR. Only in a strong association complexes of rules suitable for practice can be prepared and then implemented in a way accepted by all