Asphalt ahead of EU recycling targets 2020.
Asphalt is already meeting the 2020 EU recycling target. It is ahead of other important construction materials and has further potential.
The EU’s goal, as stated in its Waste Framework Directive, is to recycle at least 70% of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste by 2020. Nowadays the asphalt industry is already recycling and re-using up to 80% with a potential up to 100%¹. Furthermore asphalt is largely collected unmixed with other C&D materials and often recovered immediately on-site.
Other fractions of the Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste such as concrete, bricks, gypsum and wood have much lower recycling rates¹.
Literature/References:
¹ Service Contract on Management of Construction and Demolition Waste-SR1, Final Report, February 2011, A project under the Framework contract ENV.G.4/ FRA/2008/0112, Bio Intelligence Service.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/pdf/2011_CDW_Report.pdf
Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain Directives
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008L0098
