Giving a second LIFE: demolishing attitudes to recycling construction waste

Europe’s building industry has a waste problem. Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is responsible for 40% of all waste generated and represents the biggest waste stream across the EU.  

65 participants from the European Commission, as well as 14 LIFE and other EU-funded projects, gathered for a two-day meeting to explore barriers to reducing, reusing and recycling building waste, and to hear some innovative solutions being trialled by architects and builders. 

LIFE WASTE2BUILD, for example, developed a digital marketplace where builders can both buy and sell high-quality recycled building materials from demolition sites in and around Toulouse, France. LIFE CIRRCON produces reinforced concrete in Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands using crushed aggregates from demolition sites combined with binders made from recycled materials.  

‘We have the potential to transform the way concrete is produced and used in the construction industry,’ says Atteyeh Natanzi, R&D Manager at LIFE CIRRCON project partner Techcrete. ‘Reusing recycled binding material not only reduces waste but also decreases reliance on non-renewable resources.’ 

Among other LIFE projects presenting at the meeting were LIFE ECO TILES, which makes iconic Italian terrazzo tiles from recycled urban glass and ceramic waste; CIRCWASTE, which aims to eliminate bottlenecks as Finland transitions to a fully circular economy; and I-LOOP LIFE, a ‘closed loop solution’ for recycling and reusing glass wool used for thermal or sound insulation.  

‘Recycling and reusing construction waste is a shared responsibility,’ EU Policy Officer Florian Flachenecker told the meeting. ‘It’s not just construction companies — architects, consumers and policy makers all need to shift their mindset to support circularity.’ 

‘Meetings such as this are very valuable,’ added Alfons Ventura, project manager at More-LIFE-toLEVELs, which applies the EU Level(s) assessment and reporting framework to 11 construction sites across Europe. ‘They give us an opportunity to share insights, hear the latest news and exchange views with EU policy makers. It’s important to avoid working in silos.’ 

The meeting also explained the latest developments in EU policies, regulations and protocols relating to CDW, including the EU-wide End-of-Waste (EoW) Criteria, new Construction Products Regulation, revised EU Construction & Demolition Waste Management Protocol and the Digital Product Passports and the CPR Acquis process. 

Among the EU policies and strategies supported by the LIFE projects are the EU Directives on waste, landfill waste, energy end-use efficiency and energy services; the EU Circular Economy Action Plan, EU Strategy on adaptation to climate change; the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation and the European Green Deal. See here for a full list of projects participating in the event, and here for the overall conclusions of the meeting.