Cleaner Technology Projects in Denmark 1997
PVC in Construction and Demolition Waste
Kortlægning af PVC i bygge- og anlægsaffald fra nedbrydning og renovering
Arbejdsrapport nr. 79, 1997, Miljøstyrelsen
This report presents the activities performed and the results achieved in the completion of the project "PVC in construction and demolition (C & D) waste". The objective of the report is to determine the total amount of PVC in C & D-waste and to estimate the current rate of recycling.
The background of the project is based upon the need to produce a general survey of the total amount of PVC in C & D-waste in Denmark. Previous investigations have registered the amount of PVC in waste from production of building materials and construction, but satisfactory data for the amount of PVC in demolition and renovation have not existed prior to these investigations.
Two different methods have been applied in the assessment of the total amount of PVC in C & D-waste:
 | The first method is founded on information regarding the unit amount of PVC in the existing building stock in Denmark compared to information regarding rates of demolition and renovation. |
| The second method is founded on information regarding the consumption of building materials containing PVC in Denmark in the 1970s and 1980s, assuming that these are the building materials being disposed of today. This information is compared to topical information regarding the registered amount of PVC-waste. The conclusive results are primarily based on the latter method. |
The total amount of PVC in C & D-waste in Denmark is estimated to be represented in the interval between 9.000-18.000 tonnes per year with a likely amount between 11.000-14.000 tonnes per year. The current rate of recycling is found to be 10-15% .
The total spillage in installation constitutes of 1.000 tonnes per year of, which approximately 24 % is estimated to be re-cycled today.
Throughout the report the weight of the PVC-compound includes various types of filling materials.
The PVC-resin net weight therefore totals a considerable lower fraction, typically 40 % to 50 %, of the PVC-compound for soft PVC-products and 80 % to 90 % for the hard PVC-products.
Author/ institution
Erik K. Lauritzen og Niels Trap Christensen, Demex Rådgivende Ingeniører A/S
This report is subsidised by the National Council for Recycling and Cleaner Technology
ISSN no. 0908-9195
ISBN no. 87-7810-882-9