Reuse of Construction and Demolition Wastes (CDW). The Case of Sardinia Island (Italy)

The CDWs (Construction and Demolition Wastes) are one of the most important and significant waste streams in Italy and in Europe. Their management and recycling is a major challenge for member states. The present work aims to define the management situation of CDW in Sardinia , in order to assess the economic and social perspectives that result from the reuse as secondary raw materials. A database, integrating data from a first phase of the research (Balletto et al , 2013), has been constructed to illustrate the situation of the CDW management in Sardinia in terms of production, typologies and costs. The information were carried out by different channels: first, we asked to fill out a question form from the operators of authorized recycling facilities in the region , and, after, we collected available information in the public offices. By means of question form, information about the types of equipment, the amount of inert produced in previous years , the quality of materials (the REC codes of their waste) and the output data (type of products sold, their final use, etc. ) in addition to the cost of disposal and sales prices have been collected. All of this information helped to define the pattern of CDW, from their production (restructuring, demolition etc.) until their processing and reuse. In particular, we focused our attention on the mineral part of CDW and it was possible to note that the majority of it is currently used, after treatment, as road foundations or as filling material, while the other uses, including the structural one, is virtually absent. This database has been integrated with the data of the natural aggregates quarries located in the region (PRAE - Regional Plan for Mining Activities - Region of Sardinia).We also compare the demand for aggregates of three municipalities of Sardinia with production of Recycled Aggregates.