Waste reduction final report -4 - Test Input

Discussion
The previous two chapters showed types and amounts of waste, its treatment and the most
important secondary materials and their use.
Whilst recycling is very well known and established in civil engineering, the diversity and
therefore complexity of materials is much higher in house building. Besides the “big”
categories such as bricking or concrete, there are many other incorporated in a building –
unfortunately often in compounds and treated with chemicals, what makes them impossible
to separate (or impossible to do this economically) and problematic in view of pollutants.
Still, selective demolition could be a solution to the big flow of house building waste today
incinerated or landfilled. There have already been made many tests on how this can be done
and if it is economically feasible [EU 1999, Mesch and Baumann 2003, Roussat, et al. 2009,
Wien 2004]. Results say that this method is highly positive for waste management and
treatment. Costs vary much from case to case, so it cannot be said that selective demolition is
sustainable in each case from the economical point of view. However, it is highly
recommended to consider this type of demolition in deliberations. In Switzerland, gutting is
made in many demolition activities, i.e. wooden parts, metals, floorings, plastics etc. are
taken out as far as possible before tearing down the building envelope. Unfortunately, a
possible reuse of elements such as windows, doors, heaters is often difficult because of fast
developing technologies.
Waste materials coming from house building are seen to have contaminants and impurities.
These prejudices have to be eliminated where solutions have already been found.
3. Strategies, guidance documents
This chapter presents main strategies or guidance documents which could mitigate
construction waste. At the beginning, the Sustainable Development Strategy of the Swiss
federal government is introduced. Strategies are then divided into building strategies
concerning design problems; reuse and recycling strategies to decrease disposal or
incineration; and disposal strategies which aim at abating incentives for landfilling. After this,
important Swiss associations in the recycling of construction material industry are shortly
presented, followed by an overview on available Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) instruments.
Sustainable Development Strategy, Switzerland
The Swiss Federal Council adopted the first Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) in
1997 and established the second one in 2002. After a revision in 2007, Switzerland is now
working on the action plan 2008-2011.
The guidelines are rooted in the Swiss Federal Constitution as well as in reference documents
and strategies issued by the United Nations, the OECD and the EU.
In order to establish close links between legislative planning and the SDS, the Federal
Council has derived eight key strategic priority challenges that form the basis of its action on
sustainable development 32 . An Interdepartmental Sustainable Development Committee aims
to significantly intensify the assessment and optimization of political projects from the
32 These strategies refer to: Climate change and natural hazards; Energy; Spatial development and
transport; Economy, production and consumption; Use of natural resources; Social cohesion, demography
and migration; Public health, sport and the promotion of physical exercise; Global developmental and
environmental challenges; Fiscal policy; Education, research and innovation; Culture
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