Quantification and classification of construction and demolition waste collected in Passo Fundo, RS

Abstract

Considering the large amount of construction and demolition waste produced in Brazil, it is essential to obtain accurate information on sources of generation, composition, and classification of waste materials, especially for management, reutilization, and recycling purposes. The aim of this paper is to determine the amount and the characteristics of construction and demolition waste in the town of Passo Fundo, RS. Data was collected from four local waste collection companies, during a 4-month period, making possible to identify, quantify and classify the waste produced. In order to investigate the sources of waste generation, 18 truck loads were initially analysed and grouped into five different classes: mixed materials from land cleaning; mixed soils from excavation works; renewal and demolition; house construction; and multi-floor building construction. After quantifying the total volume collected, the composition of a sample of waste loads were analyzed, using manual separation and weighing different types of residues. The results indicated that most construction and demolition waste generated in Passo Fundo comes from renewal, demolition, and construction of houses, and that there is a very large potential for reusing and recycling it.