Dutch policy as incentive to environmentally controlled re-use of waste materials

Abstract

The use of industrial wastes as by-products is of a more recent date. Blast furnace slag and fly ash are used in cement, road bases often were made with slag or building rubble. After the Second World War rubble was used in Germany and The Netherlands as aggregate for the building of new houses. In this period, fresh building materials were scarce and the rubble had to be re-used or landfilled. Environment was not an issue at that time. Some twenty years ago the reuse of waste materials became politically interesting. The aspects of lessening the amount of freshly delved materials on one hand and the area occupied by landfill on the other hand were the dominant factors. The first activities were directed to large waste streams as building rubble and fly ash from coal fired power stations. The use of fly ash was stimulated by a ban on landfill for fly ash. The cement industry was put under pressure to use fly ash in the negations for extension of their mining concession. Building rubble was a tougher stream to tackle. The number of parties involved was larger and the quality of the produced materials varied largely. Together with the industry the government worked on standards, certification of different materials. A very positive influence had the prescription to use the material in government and municipal projects.