Methodology for quantification of waste generated in Spanish railway construction works

Abstract

El objetivo de este estudio es ayudar en la mejora de la gestión de los Residuos de Construcción y Demolición (RCD) en obras lineales de ferrocarril, estimando a priori la cantidad de RCD que se van a generar teniendo en cuenta tanto la fase en la que se generan como el tipo de residuo -----ABSTRACT----- In the last years, the European Union (EU) has been focused on the reduction of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Specifically, in 2006, Spain generated roughly 47 million tons of C&D waste, of which only 13.6% was recycled. This situation has lead to the drawing up of many regulations on C&D waste during the past years forcing EU countries to include new measures for waste prevention and recycling. Among these measures, the mandatory obligation to quantify the C&D waste expected to be originated during a construction project is mandated. However, limited data is available on civil engineering projects. therefore, the aim of this research study is to improve C&D waste management in railway projects, by developing a model for C&D waste quantification. For this purpose, we develop two equations which estimate in advance the amount, both in weight and volume, of the C&D waste likely to be generated in railway construction projects, including the category of C&D waste generated for the entire project.