Environmental impact from the use of recycled materials in road construction: method for decision-making in Norway

Abstract

This paper presents the approach chosen by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration as a way of obtaining more practical acceptance criteria for recycled materials in road construction. The approach is based on a combination of the European standard for characterization of waste, ENV 12920, and Guidelines for evaluating impact on health and ecosystem; SFT 99:01, issued by the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority. The possibility of using generalized default assumptions contrary to site-specific data is the key issue. Norwegian conditions concerning natural resources and waste are described with the aim of pointing out major differences from European countries that have achieved high recycling levels. Traditionally, Norway is not a typical “recycling country”, especially in regards to the recycling of construction and demolition waste. One reason for the low level of recycling in this area is the abundance of high quality and relatively low cost natural aggregates. Another reason is that ambitious environmental policy sets high standards for pollution control and raises concern regarding potential damage caused by long-term leaching. However, implementation of uniform acceptance criteria according the methods described may increase the rate of recycled materials use in road construction.