Construction waste : Girus GE presented its study to develop a traceability model
With 40 million tons of waste generated annually, the construction sector is particularly affected by a proposed anti-waste bill that will be presented to the Council of Ministers in July. Among other things, the bill proposes reforming the pre-demolition waste assessment system and establishing an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for the sector.
The anti-waste bill to be presented to the Council of Ministers soon aims to “produce better, consume better, waste less,” and therefore manage waste sustainably.
The construction sector is affected by this bill through two articles.
- The first proposes reforming the pre-demolition waste assessment system to facilitate reuse and recovery.
- The second recommends the creation of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system applied to construction waste to achieve free collection of this waste.
Led by the eco-organization RECYCLUM and co-funded by ADEME, the collaborative platform DEMOCLES aims to develop the sorting and recovery of waste from construction sites. Bringing together around a hundred partners (project owners, project managers, construction companies, waste managers, and recovery sectors), DEMOCLES is now the benchmark for sustainable construction waste management. Recognized as the leading “think tank” in this field, it has taken on the challenge of waste traceability, which is defined by two key concepts : relevant and shared information on the characteristics of the waste, on the one hand, and proof of its final destination, on the other.
It is in this context that Girus GE, a subsidiary of the ELCIMAÏ Group specializing in the energy transition and the circular economy, in partnership with TERRA and RDC Environnement, was commissioned to conduct a study to define a traceability model for all waste generated by demolition and renovation sites. This study was presented to the Ministry of the Environment on June 13 by Nicolas Roussat, as part of the national working group dedicated to the recovery of construction waste and chaired by Jacques Vernier.
Through extensive consultation with all stakeholders, GIRUS GE found that current regulatory tools do not meet the needs of industry players, who are calling for “end-to-end” traceability as well as genuine transparency across all stages of waste management to improve recovery rates.
Several examples of traceability models for construction waste in Europe, as well as traceability models outside the construction waste sector (food safety of products, wood origin, packaging waste, …) were analyzed.
A test of the transferability of the systems studied led to the proposal of a traceability system that addresses all the challenges shared by stakeholders and would be managed by a dedicated entity. This entity’s role would be to ensure traceability and data consistency through a governance structure bringing together all stakeholders in the construction site waste value chain. It would also serve as a decision-making tool for improved waste management while fostering trust among stakeholders while respecting their independence and the confidentiality of their data.
“Regardless of the solution ultimately adopted by the legislature—whether or not an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system is implemented for construction waste—traceability is essential for improving the recovery of waste from construction sites and reducing the environmental and health risks associated with poor waste management,”
Nicolas Roussat.