| Forside | | Indhold | | Forrige | | Næste |

Problematiske stoffer i bygge- og anlægsaffald - kortlægning, prognose og bortskaffelsesmuligheder

Summary

The industrial world continues to use large quantities of chemical substances in all types of products in order to enhance technical properties, extend a product's life etc. Some of these substances have already been shown to have an impact on the environment and/or human health. Authorities have therefore enforced regulations, and in some cases bans, in order to counter these impacts. This project focuses on harmful substances used in buildings and building materials and that eventually end up in building waste. The Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy has financed the project.

The aims of this project were to:

  • investigate and describe the flows of harmful substances that may appear in building waste in the period 2001-2025;
  • investigate the needs and possibilities for the sorting, collection and disposal of substances identified by this project as harmful;
  • make recommendations for the further development of collection systems, disposal methods and means for the handling of these harmful substances.

The following twelve harmful substances have been identified and investigated in this project:

  • Lead
  • Cadmium
  • Mercury
  • Nickel
  • Chromium
  • Copper
  • Zinc
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)
  • Chlorinated paraffins
  • Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)
  • Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFC)
  • Sulphur hexafluoride

The twelve substances above were selected from a long list of “undesirable” substances. The selection was mainly based on toxicity (either to the environment or to human health) and the consumption of the substances.

An inventory of the twelve substances was carried out including application, consumption, toxicity and expected typical disposal processes for the corresponding waste. Based on data form the inventory and assumptions of the service-life of the building waste a simple model was developed to forecast the amounts of the substances we may expect in building waste in the period 2001 to 2025. The model was applied for each substance resulting in graphs showing the input of the substance, in the building sector and, its output in the waste stream.

Based on the results of the model, together with the information obtained from the inventory, a list of recommendations for the management of the building waste containing the twelve harmful substances has been formulated.

A summary of these recommendations is given in the following.

  • Prioritisation and detailed assessment of the identified harmful substances:
    • It is recommended that effort are put into the procurement of detailed information about the flows of the twelve substances in building waste in order to prioritise and plan future initiatives.
       
  • Technical investigations:
    • It is recommended that technical investigations are performed to reveal the possibilities for removal and handling of building materials containing harmful substances to reduce the amounts that are incinerated.

      These investigations may comprise:
      • Removal and sorting of building components and furnishings containing the metals: lead, cadmium, nickel, chromium, copper and zinc.
         
      • The removal and sorting of plastic and sealant containing lead and cadmium and the organic substances PCB and chlorinated paraffins.
         
      • The removal, sorting and handling of insulating compounds and foams containing CFC, HFCF and HFC.
         
      • The handling of double or triple glazed windows and sealant containing PCB and the removal of windows containing sulphur hexafluoride.
         
      • The cleaning of walls and other surfaces to remove paint and other coatings containing lead, chromium, zinc and chlorinated paraffins before these components may be re-used.
         
  • Information and initiatives:
    • It is recommended that efforts are made within the construction sector to provide information and education in relation to the handling of harmful substances in building waste.
       
    • It is particularly recommended that the Danish Demolition Association (“Nedbrydningsbranchen”) is prescribed to implement effective methods for the identification, removal and handling of harmful substances. This can be done by following the addendum to “Nedbrydningsbranchens Miljøkontrolordning 1996” (NMK 96).

Finally, when the technical foundation for a more comprehensive handling of building waste is established, it is recommended that guidelines and rules are formulated for addition to local waste regulations, thereby ensuring the effective implementation of new or improved methods of waste handling.

 

| Forside | | Indhold | | Forrige | | Næste | | Top |



Version 1.0 April 2006, © Miljøstyrelsen.