Generation of construction and demolition waste in Portugal

Abstract

In line with the growing concern around the world about construction and demolition waste (CDW) management, an attempt has been made to quantify the amount of CDW generated in Portugal, a country where no reliable/official data exist. This is an increasingly important concern of companies, businesses and municipalities involved with CDW, in a context of rising demands and more demanding recent legislation. One methodology is presented to quantify the present generation, and another to extrapolate this generation over the next few years, up to 2020. It is concluded that at present substantially less CDW is generated than the figure usually cited for Portugal, based on Spanish estimates, although it is predicted that this value will be higher on a 10-15 year timescale, reaching over 400 kg person-1 year-1.