In May 2021, the German cabinet agreed on a nationwide regulation for the handling of mineral construction and demolition waste in a jacket ordinance. To ensure that construction waste can be better recycled in the future, the same rules and standards are to apply throughout Germany. Until now, each federal state had its own regulations on how construction waste is recycled and freed from pollutants. In addition, the federal cabinet has also included a clause regarding the "backfilling of excavations above ground", which still has to be approved by the Bundesrat.
One of the reasons for the agreements is that construction materials are becoming increasingly scarce in Germany, resulting in major price increases. As a result, construction projects can only be realized slowly due to material shortages. The recycling of construction waste could help to obtain construction material from construction waste, which could be used for the realization of construction projects.
According to the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, around 250 million tons of mineral waste are produced in Germany every year. If construction waste, such as rubble, is recycled properly, the substitute building materials obtained can be exchanged for primary building materials, as would be possible with insulation, for example. In addition to creating additional building materials, natural resources can also be conserved and less land can be developed for raw material extraction. The regulations are agreed in the "Ordinance on the Introduction of a Substitute Building Materials Ordinance, on the Revision of the Federal Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites Ordinance and on the Amendment of the Landfill Ordinance and the Commercial Waste Ordinance".
Source: BMU
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