Building and Demolition Waste Guideline

GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION and ENVIRONMENT

GAUTENGPROVINCIALBUILDING AND DEMOLITION WASTE GUIDELINES

MARCH2009

TABLE OF CONTENT

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

DEFINITIONS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY7

1. INTRODUCTION11

1.1 Background11

1.2 Methodology followed in the Development of these Guidelines 13

2. VISION AND MISSION15

2.1 Vision 15

2.2 Mission Statement 15

3. AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THESE GUIDELINES16

4. WHAT IS WASTE, BUILDING & DEMILITION WASTE AND

INTEGRATED WASTE MANAGEMENT 17

4.1 What is waste?17

4.2 What is Building and Demolition Waste?18

4.3 What is Integrated Waste Management?18

5. PRINCIPLES, POLICY & LEGISLATION21

5.1 White Paper on Integrated Pollution and Waste Management 21

5.2 National Waste Management Strategy21

5.3 National Environmental Management Act 107 of 199821

5.4 Polokwane Declaration on Waste Management 21

5.5 Gauteng Integrated Waste Management Policy 200621

5.6 Gauteng Waste Minimisation Plan21

6. SOURCES OF BUILDING AND DEMOLITION WASTE24

7. GUIDELINE FOR THE MINIMISATION OF BUILDING AND

DEMOLITION WASTE26

7.1 Introduction 26

7.2 Minimisation of Building and Demolition Waste through Reduction27

7.2.1 Benefits of Reduction27

7.3Minimisation of Building and Demolition Waste through Deconstruction28

7.3.1 Benefits of Deconstruction 28

7.3.2 Limiting Factors for the Deconstruction of Waste to Reduce

Building and Demolition Waste 29

7.4 Minimisation of Building and Demolition Waste through Reuse and Recycling29

7.4.1 Benefits of the RecyclingBuilding and Demolition Waste30

7.4.2 Limiting Factors for the Reuse and RecyclingBuilding and

Demolition Waste30 7.5 Steps to Consider 32

7.6 The Building and Demolition Waste Minimisation Guideline Chart34

7.7 Further Explanatory Notes on Recycling Options39

7.7.1Purchasing to Prevent Building and Demolition Waste40

7.7.2Planning Departments41

7.7.3The Use of Longer Lasting Materials and Cost Implications41

7.7.4Timber and Wood43

7.7.5Asphalt45

7.7.6Bricks47

7.7.7Concrete48

7.7.8Metals (Ferrous and Non-ferrous)49

7.7.9Glass51

7.7.10Paper and Cardboard53

7.7.11Plastics55

7.7.12Drywalling56

7.7.13Building Disassembly57

7.8 General Principles59

8. REFERENCES60

9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS61

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4-1: Waste Hierarchy inherent to Integrated Waste Management20

LIST OF TABLES

Table 8-1: Steps to be taken in the Minimisation of Building and Demolition Waste32

Table 8-2: The Building and Demolition Waste Minimisation Chart34

Table 8-3: Potential Uses of Building – Related Recycled Materials41

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1

ADDITIONAL BUILDING AND DEMOLITION WASTE STREAM DEFINITIONS CONTAINED IN LOCAL AUTHORITY BYLAWS

APPENDIX 2

REGULATIONS UNDER SECTION 24(5) OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACT 107 OF 1998: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS & IDENTIFICATION OF ACTIVITIES AND COMPETENT AUTHORITIES UNDER SECTION 24 OF THE ACT

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

B&DBuilding and Demolition

CFLCompact Fluorescent Lamp

CIPRCold In-place Recycling

CoJCity of Johannesburg

COLTOCommittee of Land and Transport Officials

CSIRCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research

DEATDepartment of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

DWAFDepartment of Water Affairs and Forestry

ECAEnvironment Conservation Act 73 of 1989

EMPEnvironmental Management Plan

EPSExpanded Polystyrene

GDACE Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment

GGBFSGround Granulated Blast Furnace Slag

GPGGauteng Provincial Government

HDPEHigh Density Polyethylene

IP&WMIntegrated Pollution and Waste Management

IWMIntegrated Waste Management

LDPELow Density Polyethylene

NEMANational Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998

NWMSNational Waste Management Strategy

PETPolyethylene Terephthalate

PPPolypropylene

PPVCPlasticised Polyvinyl Chloride

RAPRecycled Asphalt Pavements

RBPReclaimed Bituminous Pavement

SoER State of the Environment Report

UPVCUnplasticised Polyvinyl Chloride

DEFINITIONS

Asphalt / A black tarlike substance used in road-surfacing and roofing material
Building and Demolition Waste / The excess material produced during construction, renovation, alteration, repair or demolition of buildings and structures.
This waste excludes hazardous waste, produced during the construction, alteration, demolition and repair of any structure, and includes rubble,earth,rock and wood displaced during that construction, alteration, repair or demolition.
Deconstruction / The careful harvesting or removal of building materials from a structure in the reverse order in which it was constructed as material salvage for reuse.
General Waste / ‘‘general waste’’ means waste that does not pose an immediate hazard or threat to health or to the environment, and includes -
(a) domestic waste;
(b) building and demolition waste;
(c) business waste; and
(d) inert waste; (Waste Management Bill , 2008)
Hazardous Waste / Means any waste that contains organic or inorganic elements of compounds that may, owing to the inherent physical, chemical or toxicological characteristics of that waste, have a detrimental impact on health and the environment; (Waste Management Bill , 2008)
Landfill site / Waste Disposal Facility / Means any site or premise used for the accumulation of waste with the purpose of disposing of that waste at that site or on that premise; (Waste Management Bill , 2008)
Minimisation
Recycle / A process where waste is reclaimed for further use, and includes the separation of waste from a waste stream for further use and the processing of that separated material as a product or raw material.
Reuse / To utilize articles from the waste stream again for a similar or different purpose without changing the form or properties of the articles.
Waste / Means any substance, whether or not that substance can be reduced, re-used, recycled and recovered -
(a)that is surplus, unwanted, rejected, discarded, abandoned or disposed of;
(b)where the generator has no further use of for the purposes of production,
(c)reprocessing or consumption;
(d)that must be treated or disposed of; or
(e)that is identified as a waste by the Minister,
but - (i) a by-product is not considered waste; and
(ii) any portion of waste, once re-used, recycled and recovered, ceases to be waste; (Waste Management Bill, 2008)
Waste Avoidance / The prevention and avoidance of the production of waste.
Waste Disposal / The environmentally safe and legal deposit or placing of waste onto land.
Waste Minimisation / The reduction of the quantity, (e.g. volume and or mass) of waste generated and disposed.
Waste Recycling / A process where waste is reclaimed for further use, and includes the separation of a waste from a waste stream for further use and the processing of that separated material as a product or a raw material.
Waste Reduction / Means reducing, removing and keeping materials out of a waste stream so that the amount of waste needing disposal is reduced and the amount of waste reused or recycled is increased.
Waste Re-use , / Means to utilise articles from the waste stream again for a similar or different purpose without changing the form or properties of the article
Waste Stream / The total flow of waste falling under a particular waste category from activity areas, businesses units, and operations that is recovered, recycled, reused, or disposed of in landfills e.g. domestic waste, hydrocarbon waste, etc. (GDACE, 2006)
Waste Treatment / This is designed tominimise the impact of waste on the environment and is done prior to further use or disposal of the waste.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The aim of these guidelines is to provide waste minimisation options as well as alternative uses for building and demolition waste. The Guideline Document has been developed to:

a)Assist in the identification of the component of the building and demolition waste stream subject to the minimisation initiative to be undertaken,

b)Guide the user in the selection of an appropriate building and demolition waste minimisation option,

c)Assist in making a conscious selection of the appropriate intervention stage in the life-cycle of a property/structure (i.e. design, construction, maintenance and demolition),

d)Assist in the identification of potential cost implications and the level of technology intervention required, and

e)Inform the user of generally accepted waste management principles that can be applied to building and demolition waste.

The 2004 GautengProvincialState of the Environment Report identified building and demolition waste as contributing up to 25% towards the rapid loss of air space within the GautengProvince’s landfill sites. Consequently, the Gauteng Provincial Government, through the Department of Agriculture Conservation and Environment initiated a General Waste Minimisation Plan (GWMP) for the province. The GWMP identified in its report, entitled “General Waste Minimisation Plan Status Quo Report” that on average, 20 % of builders and in the Gauteng province was due to building and demolition waste. That plan has emanated into the development of this Guideline Document which is meant to be practical and easy to use.

The Guideline Document is targeted at the broad spectrum of waste management practitioners and other stakeholders involved in the generation, conveyancing and disposal of building and demolition waste including;

a)Landfill operators and managers

b)Municipal managers

c)Design engineers and architects

d)Construction engineers and managers

e)Property ownersand developers

f)Building and demolition contractors, and

g)Other professionals involved in the design, construction, maintenance and demolition cycle of buildings and infrastructure

The development of the Guideline Document involved scanning process to review best practice in the Gauteng Province, South Africa and elsewhere particularly first world countries with geo-socio-physical conditions similar to South Africa. This was done in parallel with a stakeholder consultation process which culminated in a Stakeholder Workshop carried in Johannesburg (March 2008) where interim findings were presented. Subsequent exchanges of two drafts were produced wherein stakeholder input was further sought resulting in this final document.

The principle of Integrated Waste Management (IWM) has been regarded as central to the development and implementation of this Guideline Document. IWM is a holistic and integrated course of action that incorporates waste avoidance, the minimisation of the generation of waste at source, through reduction and/or cleaner production;, recycling, reuse; waste collection and transportation; waste treatment and/or waste disposal, as a last resort. The overall objective of IWM is to optimise and maximise the efficiency of waste management whilst minimising any negative impacts to the environment.

The use of this Guideline Document does not exempt the holder of waste(any person who imports, generates, stores, accumulates, transports, processes, treats, or exports waste or disposes of waste) from complying with Section 2 of the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 and Regulations No. R. 385, 386 and 387 of 21 April 2006[1] and any amendments thereto (refer to Appendix 2), and National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of2008 (Waste Act, 2008)and any amendments thereof, and any other National, Provincial and Local authority legislation that may be applicable to the activity to be undertaken.

A stakeholders’ workshop was published in national media out in order to facilitate input on the content of the Guidelines Document. Participants in the preparation of this document included representatives from government, local and metropolitan municipalities, private waste management companies as well as some non governmental organisations.

SECTION 1

BACKGROUND AND THEORETICAL ASPECTS

1INTRODUCTION

1.1Background

The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG), through the Department of Agriculture Conservation and Environment (GDACE), initiated a General Waste Minimisation Plan (GWMP) for the province. The GWMP identifiedin its report, entitled “General Waste Minimisation Plan Status Quo Report” that on average, 20 % of builders and in the Gauteng province was due to building and demolition waste.

The 2004 GautengProvincialState of the Environment Report (SoER)has identified buildingand demolition waste, as a major contributor to the rapid loss of air space within the GautengProvince’s landfill sites. Gauteng, as the Province with the greatest industrial and population density, inherently generates the greatest amount of waste (approximately 42% of the waste generated in South Africa is produced in GautengProvince). It states inter alia that approximately 25% of waste entering landfills arebuilding and demolition waste.

The GPG has therefore concludedthat building and demolition waste is a major contributor to the rapid loss of air space within the Province’s landfills. It is, therefore, taking appropriate steps to address this problem, amongst which is the development and publication of this document.

This Guidelines Document has been developed by the GPG to assist you and all other role players to minimise and/or divert the building and demolition waste awayfrom landfills for other potential and practical re-use options which also make economic sense for the user.

The environmental costs associated with the disposal of building and demolition waste, a potentially recyclable material, include:

a)Loss of land for housing development;

b)Potential loss of habitat for indigenous species when large tracts of land are utilised for landfill space;

c)Increased extraction of raw materials for inter alia new construction products;

d)Social costs such as loss of available land for recreation facilities; and

e)Increase in illegal dumping and the accompanying clean up costs.

The scale and extent of the problem demands a comprehensive solution, especially since the majority of the building and demolition waste can be recovered, reused and / or recycled and can serve as a resource to limit the amount of non-renewable natural resources utilised. The GDACE has therefore targeted this area for strategic intervention, in order to minimise unnecessary disposal of building and demolition wasteon landfills.

This document aims to facilitate Gauteng Provincial waste minimisation processes through practical guidelines to assist the construction and demolition industry. It is based on the use of best practice, where applicable, for waste reduction in building and demolition projects at all scales of operation. It also aims to promotebetter waste management practises for a wide range of stakeholders including developers, design professionals, suppliers, waste contractors, and collectors.

The purpose of this Building and Demolishing Waste GuidelineDocument is to encourage efficient waste minimisation, good environmental citizenship and resource recovery from building and demolition waste.

Role-players targeted for the use of this Guideline Document include (but are not restricted to):

a)Landfill operators and managers,

b)Municipal managers,

c)Design engineers and architects,

d)Construction engineers and managers,

e)Property owners and developers,

f)Building and demolition contractors, and

g)Other professionals involved in the design, construction, maintenance and demolition cycle of buildings and infrastructure.

The use of this Guideline Document does not exempt the holder of waste(any person who imports, generates, stores, accumulates, transports, processes, treats, or exports waste or disposes of waste) from complying with Section 2 of the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 and Regulations No. R. 385, 386 and 387 of 21 April 2006[2] and any amendments thereto (refer to Appendix 2), and National Environmental Management: Wasted Act 2008 and any amendments thereof, and any other National, Provincial and local authority legislation that may be applicable to the activity to be undertaken.

1.2Methodology Followed in the Development of theseGuidelines

ThisGuideline Document is an amalgamation of:

a)results obtained from a literature review of best practice in the building and demolition sector infirst world countries with geo-socio-physical conditions similar to South Africa such as the United States and Australiaas well as best practice in other European countries; and

b)a stakeholder consultation process which was carried out in the greater Gauteng area to establish “on the ground” views about practical initiatives that need development in order to facilitate the minimisation of building and demolition waste.

The stakeholder consultation process involved discussions with representatives of the largest building and demolition waste processors in the GautengProvince, such as the Cities of Johannesburg (CoJ), MogaleCity, Tshwane and EkurhuleniMetropolitanMunicipalities. Views were also obtained from Pikitup Johannesburg (Pty) Ltd (Pikitup), which operates waste management services on behalf of CoJ, independent views from small waste operators, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Cape TownMetropolitanMunicipality for independent technical input, as well as other participants in the sector.

The consultation process, whilst intended to be as broadly participative as possible, had to make a practical shortlist of stakeholders to consult within timeframes and budget limitations available.

Upon completion of the stakeholders’ workshop, a draft guidelines document was compiled and later disseminated for comment to all stakeholders who had either;

a)Attended the workshop;

b)Had registered interest in the project after having seen adverts in national media; or

c)Had been referred to the project team by a participating stakeholder.

Once the receipt of comments period had lapsed, comments that waere practical, relevant and fell within the scope of the project was assimilated into the Guidelines Document. The document was then disseminated in a second and final round of comments period. This document then is the product of the research and consultations process described above.

2VISION AND MISSION STATEMENT

It is important to note that the development and use of the Guideline Document contributes towards the Vision and Mission of the GDACE, as outlined below:

2.1Vision

Leaders in natural resource management.

2.2Mission Statement

Provide an integrated Provincial management system for the sustainable utilisation of natural resources towards the quality of life for all.

3AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THESEGUIDELINES

The aim of this document is to provide guidelines for waste minimisation options as well as alternative uses for building and demolition waste. The minimisation ofbuilding and demolitionwaste generation at source and alternative use, reuse and recycling options are also reviewed in partial fulfilment of that aim.

The objectives of the GuidelinesDocument are:

a)To identify best practicable environmental options for building and demolition waste minimization at source,

b)To give guidance on the recovery, reuse and recycling ofbuilding and demolition waste,

c)To implement the following objectives of the Gauteng Provincial Integrated Waste Management Policy of 2006:

Objective 8: Avoidance and Substitution
Objective 9: Waste Reduction and Minimisation
Objective 10: Waste Recovery and Recycling
Objective 12: Waste Processing
Objective 13: Waste Treatment and Disposal

d)To implement the goal of the Gauteng General Waste Minimisation Plan, and that goal is to stabilise waste generation by 2014 and reduce waste disposal by a margin of 1% per annum over the next 5 years, i.e. 2009 to 2014.

e)To give effect to the Gauteng Strategy for Sustainable Development as it relates to waste minimisation,

4WHAT IS WASTE,BUILDING & DEMOLITION WASTE and integrated waste management?

4.1What is Waste?

The Waste Act defines was as “any substance, whether or not that substance can be reduced, reused, recycled and recovered –