The development of a construction and demolition waste recycling facility in Galway - a case study

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste is conservatively estimated to account for approximately 17.5 per cent of the total amount of non-agricultural waste produced in Ireland each year. The European Commission identified it as a priority waste stream in 1991 for two reasons: firstly, it usually consists of bulky materials taking up considerable landfill space; and secondly, it has a high potential for recovery and reuse. With landfill space becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, the Irish government set out a number of targets in 1998 to divert waste from landfills [Department of the Environment and Local Government (DoELG) 1998] One of the major targets was the recycling/reuse of 50 per cent of construction and demolition waste by 2003; with a progressive increase to 85 percent by 2013.The main barrier in achieving these ambitious targets is the current lack of infrastructure available to process the construction and demolition waste materials (DoELG, 2002). This study aims to examine the development of a construction and demolition waste recycling facility in the Galway region. This case study will be integrated into an extensive examination of all facets of construction and demolition waste management. This will form the basis for an economic and operational evaluation to provide a set of best practice indicators for subsequent developments as recommended by the recent policy statement Preventing and Recycling Waste — Delivering Change (DoELG, 2002).