Policy measures to promote reuse and high-quality recycling of construction and demolition waste
The European Union (EU) has made progress in managing construction and demolition waste (CDW),
but more needs to be done to promote preparing for reuse and high-quality recycling. The scope of
the current study is the universe of policy measures intended to reduce waste, increase recycling,
and achieve cost savings in CDW management in the EU. This study serves to define the state-ofplay in the EU and winnow the universe of policies to those that are most promising given current
technological and market conditions. Based on analysis of the policies with the highest potential
positive impacts, the Joint Research Centre (JRC) recommends considering eight targeted actions at
the EU level and ten additional targeted actions at the national and local levels to improve CDW
reduction, reuse, and recycling.
These policy measures range from legally binding rules to soft regulation and include measures such as extending producer responsibility, promoting selective demolition, and harmonising landfill charges. The measures require further in-depth impact assessment if promoted. The current study offers reliable evidence based on quantitative/qualitative analyses that provide new empirical data and results for use in future impact assessments.
