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LIFE ENVIRONMENT | LIFE and the circular economy Photo: LIFE10 ENV/ES/000516/NEEMO EEIG/Stephen Nottingham POLYMIX demonstrated asphalt mixes containing polymer wastes road near Madrid. The performance of the asphalt mixes was monitored over 18 months, compared to conventional asphalt, to test technical feasibility and economic viability. Construction of the trial road sections involved the recycling of 20 tonnes of polymer waste and savings on the use of 60 tonnes of aggregate, with associated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and less waste going to landfill. In addition to the environmental benefits, the bestperforming POLYMIX asphalts also improve road durability. The demonstration road helped to confirm laboratory tests, showing that polymer waste increases resistance to rutting (plastic deformation) and enhances asphalt stiffness, so the road is able to better resist stress. This should reduce road maintenance costs and potentially enable the thickness of the asphalt to be reduced. On the strength of the demonstration, project partner Acciona, an infrastructure development company, is offering the technology to clients. “POLYMIX raises the possibility of construction companies using local municipal waste polymers, so that each asphalt plant would have its own regional supplier,” suggests Irune Indacoechea of project beneficiary, the University of Cantabria (UNICAN) in Santander. This would lead to plastic polymer waste being diverted from landfill on a massive scale as a secondary raw material, similar to what has happened with end-of-life tyres (ELTs). “Ten years ago there were few applications for ELTs, but that changed and there are lots of innovative uses for the material. Now we need to find more applications for other polymers,” says Ms Indacoechea. Upcycling waste LIFE projects have demonstrated the upcycling of waste materials to create secondary raw materials for use in value-added products. For instance, by using an innovative wet-laid technology, WET- COMP (LIFE10 ENV/ES/000431) made several types of non-woven materials from textile waste at beneficiary AITEX in Valencia (Spain). Recycled fibre material, with mechanical properties similar to virgin fibre, was made into composites with technical applications (e.g. automobile parts). Some prototypes were shown to be competitive with existing commercial products and further markets are being explored, such as the agriculture and footwear sectors. Also in Spain, the WOODRUB project (LIFE09 ENV/ ES/000454) developed recycled wood and rubber prototype panels, with different compositions of wastes and adhesives, for a range of applications, including acoustic panels, roadside barriers, pathways and interior partitions. Acoustic, thermal and mechanical properties of the composite materials 50
LIFE ENVIRONMENT | LIFE and the circular economy are in line with international standards. Not only can the recycled panels substitute for virgin materials, they also need less energy to manufacture (as a cogeneration power plant is fed with residual wood). According to coordinating beneficiary AIDIMA, each 1 m 2 panel uses about 900 kg of waste. If scaled-up, both WET-COMP and WOODRUB have the potential to divert considerable amounts of waste from landfill, with subsequent reductions in water, air and soil pollution, as well as reducing operating costs associated with landfill fees and generating new revenues. Municipal waste collection The Circular Economy Package sets a target for recycling 65% of municipal waste by 2030. This forms part of a long-term vision, initiated by the Waste Framework Directive, for the sustainable management of MSW to reduce amounts sent to landfill. Initiatives to increase recycling rates for waste from households and industry, however, are often constrained by administrative capacity, a lack of investment in separate collection and recycling infrastructure, and insufficient use of economic instruments (e.g. landfill charges or pay-as-youthrow schemes). EU legislative proposals on waste management take into account these obstacles, by combining long-term and interim targets with the possibility of time-extensions and technical assistance for countries facing the biggest challenges in stepping up separate collection and recycling systems. LIFE projects have contributed to EU municipal waste management objectives by developing better collection systems, raising awareness and increasing public participation in separate waste collection and recycling schemes. They have also pioneered the use of economic incentives to increase reuse and recycling rates, in line with the EU waste hierarchy (see box – incentivising ‘reversed waste’). Incentivising ‘reversed waste’ The Dutch project, LIFE ReWaCo (LIFE12 ENV/NL/000792), tested incentives to increase the amount of household waste collected from different types of housing. Trials took place in three neighbourhoods in Arnhem as part of a new cost-effective waste collection system called Reversed Waste Collection (ReWaCo). This system was designed with both positive incentives to encourage recycling and negative incentives to reduce disposal. Improved doorstep collections make it easier for households to put out separated wastes, though residual waste now needs to be put into underground containers installed by the project in the three areas (with access cards given only to target communities). A comprehensive monitoring programme recorded volumes and composition of recycled and residual waste. According to project manager Geert Boonzaaijer, the system for the collection of separated waste materials is “proceeding exceptionally well in the neighbourhoods”, with volumes of collected materials above target figures and residual waste volumes lower than expected. Surveys showed residents were generally positive towards the project, which continues to produce good results. “The amounts of paper, cardboard and plastic packaging material collected separately in the three trial areas are at the same level as in 2014. Also, in the additional neighbourhoods where ReWaCo has been recently introduced the results are good,” says says Mr Boonzaaijer. Local people were employed as waste coaches for six-months during the roll out of ReWaCo across Arnhem, and this was considered essential by the project team. “They were in the neighbourhoods on a daily basis, and regularly during the evening and Photo: LIFE12 ENV/NL/000792/Gemeente Arnhem/Ivo Hutten weekend, to provide information about the separate collection of waste, check waste containers and identify abuse,” explains Mr Boonzaaijer. “Enforcement must go hand-in-hand with the provision of good information about separate waste collection,” he says. The relative simplicity and familiarity of the ReWaCo system makes it ripe for replication. “In the Netherlands, already several municipalities are introducing the ReWaCo system; and many municipalities are studying the system, using the know-how and experience gathered in Arnhem,” says Mr Boonzaaijer. In part this interest is driven by new national targets for domestic waste recycling. “Every effort must be made to prevent the depletion of raw materials and fossil fuels, with the ultimate aim of transitioning to a circular economy,” he concludes. Waste 51
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