Report into the Construction and Demolition Waste Stream Audit 2000-2005
This report outlines the results of a compositional study of construction and demolition (C&D) waste that was disposed to landfill during the period January 2000 to June 2005.
The primary purpose of the study was to accurately determine the composition of C&D waste disposed of in the Sydney Metropolitan Area (SMA). A secondary purpose, detailed in the report, was to determine the relationship between C&D waste composition and:
- trends over time
- particle size fractions
- source of C&D waste disposed to landfill
- chemical concentrations in some materials
- quantities potentially recoverable.
The development of an accurate methodology was critical due to the nature of disposed C&D waste. A combination of hand sorting and mechanical sorting using mobile processing equipment was used to determine the composition by weight of all major materials.
The results of the study indicate that there are opportunities for recovery of up to 40% of the C&D waste that is currently lost to landfill, including concrete, clay products, timber and soil. Given current collection, transport and sorting methodologies, over 50% of the C&D waste disposed of within the SMA may be non-recoverable due to contamination with asbestos and chemical contaminants. Greater segregation and removal of contaminants may reduce the proportion of non-recoverable wastes.
Report into the Construction and Demolition Waste Stream Audit 2000-2005
Note: The PDF files are optimised for screen viewing. Please print only the required sections.
Page last updated: 12 July 2012
