New applications and experiments to reuse construction waste in the production lines of new products.

The construction sector is one of those that produces the largest quantity, in tons, of waste, not only in the Italian market, which has about 40 million a year, but also in Europe, which produces about 870 million tons according to 2017 values.

An incredible quantity that until recently ended up, without too many thoughts, in landfills and left there, dormant, polluting the land and wasting important resources.

Today, in the context of the new regulations on the circular economy, a long way has been made in the recycling of part of this waste, but above all in the prohibition of throwing recoverable products in landfill.

In particular, the aggregates produced in Italy every year are about 68 million tons, of which about 78% can be recycled, using them as road substrates or in the creation of squares, in the production of low-strength concrete or in the production of asphalts, concrete products or railway ballast.

The recycling percentage of aggregates could easily reach 90% if the uses in finished products or as aggregate in mixtures were still extended, where it is necessary a fine or very fine part as a mixture granulometry.

The experimentation of new uses of recycled aggregates continues, also involving some cement producers, who are trying to replace natural aggregates with recycled ones for the production of flour raw in cement manufacturing plants.

Despite this favorable interest, there are clouds gathering on the horizon, in fact the new End or Waste decree of the Ministry of the Environment has classified as recyclable only 18 out of 50 product codes, risking to landfill approximately 32 million tons of construction waste per year, as they do not fall within the approved codes.

Anpar, the Italian association of producers of recycled aggregates, has asked the ministry for a confrontation to solve the problem.

Automatic translation. We apologize for any inaccuracies. Original article in Italian.