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Circular Economy - now is the time


The recycling of raw materials from waste has a long history in the canton of Zurich. The industry has been dedicated to the subject for more than 30 years with considerable success, as can be seen from the recycling of building materials.
Photo: Toggenburger AG

Closing material cycles has been an important issue in the canton of Zurich, and not just since the "Kreislaufinitiative" (recycling initiative) launched by the party of the green youth. The industry has long recognized that the 4.2 million tons of waste (excluding excavated material) generated in the canton of Zurich alone contain valuable raw materials that can be used to create something new. Thus, the Gravel and Concrete Works Association (FKB) is not only dedicated to the extraction of gravel as a raw material for the construction industry, but also to the recovery of raw materials from demolition and excavation material for more than 30 years. The recycling rate for construction waste is over 80%, but is to be further increased.


Recycling of construction materials on the rise

If we look at the total waste volumes in the Canton of Zurich, they are made up of 3% sewage sludge, 14% hazardous waste, 19% municipal waste and 64% construction waste. Therefore it is understandable that the government council of the Canton of Zurich has opposed the initiative, which was aimed solely at municipal waste, with a counter-proposal that takes a holistic approach and aims to promote material recycling.


Partnership-based initiatives such as the "Gravel for Generations" platform launched by the FKB, the Association for Construction Materials Recycling (arv) and the Canton of Zurich's Department of Construction will thus receive additional impetus. However, in implementing the new constitutional article, it will also be important to promote sales of products with recycled content.


The knowledge-level about the possible uses of building materials with recycled content can still be increased in the industry and fundamental reservations can be dispelled. There is an ongoing  technical development and numerous new products are being developed which, in addition to a higher recycled content, also meet the technical requirements and are CO-2 optimized in production. In addition to the technical standards, it is therefore imperative to formulate product definitions according to properties and, if necessary, even specifications for their use. It will also be very important to communicate the possible uses of these new building materials to all stakeholders. And finally, future recycling will have to be taken into account in an early planning stage.


For more than 15 years, Communicators has been providing communication support to various industrial companies, associations and organizations involved in the closure of recycling loops.


Picture: AWEL Zurich

Published on 02. November 2021 by Martin Arnold
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