Update of the construction and demolition waste recycling scenario in Brazil

2008-2020

Abstract

The recycling of construction and demolition waste (CDW) in Brazil has intensified in the last 20 years. This article presents an update of the scenario of CDW recycling in Brazil between 1986 and 2008, presented by Miranda et al. (2009), with updates until 2020. The compilation of data was carried out through access to scientific literature, standards and based on the Sectorial Surveys of the Brazilian Association for Recycling of Civil Construction and Demolition Waste (ABRECON). The CDW recycling activity in Brazil started in the 80's, with weak growth until the end of the 90's. In 2002 there were few CDW recycling plants installed in the country. As of this year, with the publication of CONAMA Resolution nº 307, a slight increase in the growth rate of these facilities was noticed. With the heating of the sector between 2007 and 2013 and the approval of the Brazilian National Policy on Solid Waste (PNRS), the recycling of CDW intensified. Even so, the distribution of plants in the national territory is quite uneven, with the highest concentration in the Southeast region. Until 2008, only 3.6% of the CDW of the entire country was recycled and in 2018, this value increased to 45%. One possibility to minimize the CDW problem in small municipalities through low investment is the installation of mobile plants.