PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Approximately 500,000 tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is currently produced in the Cork region each year. Nationally, Ireland produces approximately 7 million tonnes while at the EU level, it is estimated that about 300 million tonnes is generated annually. Besides the need to solve this important issue at local level, the Cork authorities were confronted with the problem of the landfill site at the Kinsale Road, which will be exhausted in the short-to-medium term.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the "DemCon 20/20" project were to: • Establish a recycling facility for construction and demolition (C&D) waste at a local landfill site; • Develop new markets for recycled C&D waste; • Reduce landfill deposits of C&D waste in the Cork area and; • Construct a major new local amenity at Kinsale Road landfill site. The economic, social and environmental benefits that this project aimed to achieve included: • Reduction of wastes landfilled (650,000 tonnes of C&D waste diverted from the Kinsale Road landfill and recycled at the new facilities during the lifetime of the project); • Demonstration and piloting of a major recycling scheme; • Contribution towards provision of a public amenity park; • Provision of statistics on the composition of C&D waste; • Reduction of energy consumption due to transport; • Job creation; • Protection of adjacent rural environment by minimising/eliminating fly-tipping and; • Establishment of symbiotic relationship with other recycling facilities existing for municipal waste and non-hazardous industrial waste.
RESULTS
The recycling facility has been successfully established and operated throughout the project duration. However, the project's aims have been somewhat compromised by the relatively high proportion (70%) of low quality soils less than 50 mm size (fines), for which there is limited demand. This was due to the nature of construction activities on-going within the Cork area during the project time-span, which were predominately Greenfield developments rather than demolition, which resulted in a greater proportion of soils from excavations, etc. Uses for all of the processed material have been found within the Kinsale landfill site, including daily cover, final capping and construction of on-site facilities, with only a small amount being used off-site for the construction of a pedestrian walkway in a local park. It has proved difficult to establish markets for the other higher grade materials recovered (greater than 50 mm free draining material) outside the site due to readily available supplies of cheap virgin material in the area, and the historic distrust of recycled material. However, the widespread dissemination and demonstration aspects of the project may have had some effect in breaking down resistance to these entrenched beliefs. The price sensitivity of charging for reception of C&D waste at the site was clearly demonstrated by the detrimental effect on the amount of material received at the site when charges were imposed, and the positive increase when charges were later dropped, although this aspect of the project was also compromised by the underestimation of material stockpiled at the site. This resulted in greater emphasis on attracting more C&D waste to the site for processing, to the detriment of establishing markets for recycled material.The recycling facility has been successfully established and operated throughout the project duration. However, the project's aims have been somewhat compromised by the relatively high proportion (70%) of low quality soils less than 50 mm size (fines), for which there is limited demand. This was due to the nature of construction activities on-going within the Cork area during the project time-span, which were predominately Greenfield developments rather than demolition, which resulted in a greater proportion of soils from excavations, etc. Uses for all of the processed material have been found within the Kinsale landfill site, including daily cover, final capping and construction of on-site facilities, with only a small amount being used off-site for the construction of a pedestrian walkway in a local park. It has proved difficult to establish markets for the other higher grade materials recovered (greater than 50 mm free draining material) outside the site due to readily available supplies of cheap virgin material in the area, and the historic distrust of recycled material. However, the widespread dissemination and demonstration aspects of the project may have had some effect in breaking down resistance to these entrenched beliefs. The price sensitivity of charging for reception of C&D waste at the site was clearly demonstrated by the detrimental effect on the amount of material received at the site when charges were imposed, and the positive increase when charges were later dropped, although this aspect of the project was also compromised by the underestimation of material stockpiled at the site. This resulted in greater emphasis on attracting more C&D waste to the site for processing, to the detriment of establishing markets for recycled material.