Waste management in the construction sector: 3 questions to Cassandre Gély
Cassandre Gély
National Circular Economy Referent, Apave Group
Cassandre holds a Master's degree in Construction Business Management and a Master's degree in Construction Project Management, with a specialisation in sustainable construction. She joined the Apave Group in 2022 as the national Circular Economy referent.
Working in synergy with the network of Product-Equipment-Materials-Waste (PEMD) diagnosticians, she provides nationwide support to players in the building sector (public and private contracting authorities, project managers, builders, building contractors, architects) in their waste management and circular economy issues.
Hello Cassandre. When it comes to environmental obligations in building and construction, it's not always easy to find your way around. Could you give us an update on the regulations in force concerning site waste management?
Yes, it can seem complex. However, our compass on the subject is the 2020 AGEC law, which inaugurates the ‘3 Rs’ in construction: Reuse, Re-utilisation, Recycling. In terms of construction site waste management, this law has had three major impacts on the construction industry.
Firstly, the extension of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Since 1993, EPR schemes have been gradually introduced, with the PMCB (Construction Products and Materials for the Building Industry) scheme due to come into force in 2022. In practical terms, this extended producer responsibility, also known as EPR for the building sector, operates on the ‘polluter pays’ model. Since1 May 2023, the materials producer (manufacturer, importer or distributor) pays an eco-contribution on products, which is paid to government-approved eco-organisations. This eco-contribution is used to fund the collection of waste throughout the country, as well as the end-of-life treatment of products, equipment and materials.
In addition, since 17 July 2021, a decree has regulated the conditions for source separation and separate collection of construction and demolition waste in 7 streams. In addition to the five existing streams - paper, metal, plastic, wood and glass - two new streams have been added: mineral fraction waste (bricks, ceramics, tiles, stone and concrete) and plaster waste (slabs, cellular partitions, plasterboard and plasterboard tiles). This requires a new organisation for managing skips on building sites.
Finally, the AGEC Act introduces the Products-Equipment-Materials-Waste (PEMD) diagnosis. Applicable from1 July 2023, this measure replaces the waste diagnosis that has existed since 2011 and extends the scope of the operations concerned to products, equipment, materials and waste from the demolition or significant renovation of buildings.
Key figures for construction waste
- 224 million tonnes of waste are produced each year by the construction sector
- 51% comes from demolition sites, 36% from renovation sites and 13% from new-build sites
- Only 1% of waste is reused
* source Ademe -2020
You mentioned the PEMD diagnosis. How does it work in practice, and who does it concern?
This diagnosis, which is the responsibility of the project owner, i.e. the owner of the building, concerns demolition or significant renovation operations (the destruction or replacement of at least 50% of two of the following elements: floors, interior or exterior partitions, exterior door and window frames, plumbing and sanitary installations, electrical installations and heating systems) of buildings of more than 1,000 m², as well as buildings that have housed hazardous substances without any notion of surface area (article R4411-6 of the French Labour Code).
It is important to remember that the PEMD diagnosis must be carried out prior to the submission of applications for planning permission (construction, demolition, development) or, failing that, before the acceptance of quotations or the awarding of works contracts. In all cases, the work must be carried out by a diagnostician who is independent of the works company and the client.
Faced with these new obligations, which require us to rethink the way we build and deconstruct, project owners may need support. How can Apave help?
Project owners, and more generally all the teams and various trades working on construction or deconstruction sites, are looking for information. Raising awareness and teaching about circularity as applied to the building industry are the cornerstones of the Apave Group's support.
Secondly, and this is our strength, we have the dedicated expertise to support building industry players from A to Z at every stage of their operations:
Before demolition or renovation: including the preparation and transmission of the PEMD diagnosis to the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB), soil and subsoil pollution audits, and the channelling of waste to treatment facilities.
During the worksite: the Apave group assists the client in verifying waste management.
At the end of the project: on behalf of the project owner, we submit the inventory form on the CSTB platform for products, equipment, materials reused or intended for reuse, and significant demolition or renovation waste.
While the issue of waste management is fundamental, it represents only part of the new challenges facing the construction sector: RE2020, accelerating the reuse or use of bio- and geosourced materials, energy sobriety and autonomy, low-carbon strategy. In the face of the climate emergency, we can no longer build as we did before. From construction to deconstruction, we need to rethink our practices. And to support, encourage and sustain the deployment of these new practices aimed at reducing the pressure of construction projects on the environment, risk management players like Apave obviously have a central role to play.
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