Promoting the reduction of construction waste is an important content of the construction waste treatment system and an important measure to save resources and protect the environment. In order to do a good job in the reduction of construction waste and promote the transformation and upgrading of green construction and construction industry, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development recently issued the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Reduction of Construction Waste (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions), guiding and urging the competent departments of housing and urban-rural construction at all levels to establish and improve the working mechanism for the reduction of construction waste, strengthen the control of the source of construction waste, promote the transformation of the production organization mode of engineering construction, effectively reduce the generation and discharge of construction waste during the engineering construction process, and continuously promote the sustainable development of engineering construction and the improvement of urban and rural living environment.
The waste treatment pilot has achieved results.
The Opinions put forward a clear goal for the emission reduction of residential construction waste in China, that is, by the end of 2020, the working mechanism for the reduction of construction waste in various regions will be initially established. By the end of 2025, the working mechanism of reducing construction waste in various regions will be further improved, and the emission of construction waste (excluding engineering dregs and engineering mud) in new construction sites will be no more than 300 tons per 10,000 square meters, and that of construction waste (excluding engineering dregs and engineering mud) in assembled construction sites will be no more than 200 tons per 10,000 square meters.
Construction waste refers to the waste soil, materials and other wastes produced in the process of new construction, reconstruction, expansion and demolition of various houses and municipal infrastructure projects, which can be divided into engineering muck, engineering mud, engineering garbage and demolition garbage. In recent years, with the rapid development of urbanization in China, a large number of construction wastes have been produced. According to the calculation of relevant industry associations, in recent years, the annual output of urban construction waste in China has exceeded 2 billion tons, which is about 10 times that of domestic waste, accounting for about 40% of the total urban solid waste. Construction waste has become the largest and most concentrated solid waste discharged by a single variety in cities in China. At present, China’s construction waste is mainly treated by transportation, landfill and open-air stacking, which not only occupies a lot of land resources, but also produces harmful components and gases, causing groundwater, soil and air pollution and endangering the ecological environment and people’s health.
The relevant person in charge of the Engineering Quality and Safety Supervision Department of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said: "Since 2018, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has carried out a two-year pilot project on construction waste control in 35 cities (districts) including Beijing. With the goal of managing the stock, controlling the increment and accelerating the construction of the whole process supervision system, the pilot cities have carried out the pilot projects of construction waste management in an orderly manner and achieved positive results. "
Recently, the revised draft of the Law of People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Waste (hereinafter referred to as the Law on Solid Waste) was reviewed and approved, which stipulated the reduction of construction waste. In order to implement the spirit of the Solid Waste Law, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Reduction of Construction Waste, which clarified the overall requirements, main objectives and specific measures of the reduction of construction waste, and took it as an important document to guide the reduction of construction waste sources at present and in the future and promote the green development of urban and rural construction.
The construction unit bears the primary responsibility.
It is worth noting that the Opinions of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has implemented the primary responsibility of the construction unit for reducing construction waste in accordance with the principle of "who produces and who is responsible". The construction unit shall incorporate the construction waste reduction targets and measures into the bidding documents and contract texts, and incorporate the construction waste reduction measures into the project budget, and supervise the design, construction and supervision units to implement them. The Opinions clarify that the promotion of construction waste reduction should be guided by the three principles of "overall planning, source reduction", "local conditions, systematic promotion", "innovation-driven, and fine management", so as to effectively reduce the emission of construction waste in the whole life cycle of the project, systematically promote the reduction of construction waste, implement fine design and construction, and realize the classified control and reuse of construction waste on the construction site.
With the rapid growth of construction waste, there is not only a serious phenomenon of "siege of construction waste" in developed areas, but also a serious social problem. Even in underdeveloped areas or even underdeveloped areas, due to the lack of understanding of the importance of recycling construction waste, the lack of urgency, and the constraints of funds and technology, construction waste is also increasing, and it can not be effectively disposed and utilized, which has become a huge hidden danger affecting future development.
"The unclear responsibility of construction waste management is an important reason for the phenomenon of garbage siege." Liu Junhai, a professor at Renmin University of China Law School, said.
According to Liu Junhai, the main responsibility of the discharge, transportation, consumption, utilization and supervision of construction waste is unclear, and it has always been attached to road management, environmental sanitation management and environmental protection management. There is no clear division of labor and responsibility, and there is an embarrassing phenomenon of "Jiulong Water Control". In remote rural areas, construction waste is basically in a state of laissez-faire For example, how to pile up construction waste, how to treat it and how to use it, how to deal with abandoned buildings generated by building, maintenance and decoration in rural areas, and how to deal with structures, water conservancy facilities and abandoned factories in the daily production process are basically unregulated. The promulgation of the "Opinions" can solve these thorny problems to some extent.
Reducing the source of construction waste is the key
Green planning and green design are the key to reduce the source of construction waste. For this reason, the Opinions put forward many specific management measures to reduce construction waste at the construction site.
For example, construction waste emission control measures at the construction site. It mainly includes classifying and weighing (measuring) the construction waste leaving the site and recording it in time, publicizing the emission of construction waste leaving the site in real time, and strictly prohibiting the domestic waste and hazardous waste from being mixed with the construction waste.
On-site disposal measures of construction waste in construction site. It mainly includes engineering muck and engineering mud used for earthwork backfilling after taking soil improvement measures; Metal garbage and inorganic non-metallic construction garbage should be disposed of on the spot according to the site conditions to realize on-site resource reuse; Construction waste that is difficult to be used locally shall be transported and disposed in time according to relevant requirements, and shall not be dumped or scattered without authorization.
In this regard, Wang Canfa, a professor at China University of Political Science and Law, believes that at present, the process of domestic construction waste recycling industry needs the strong support of the government and the establishment of relevant policies and regulations, and the public welfare of construction waste recycling projects should be clarified first.
According to the requirements of the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan", it is a basic national policy to persist in saving resources and protecting the environment. The recycling of construction waste will not only create good economic benefits, but also bring great environmental and social benefits to the public. The recycling of construction waste is a good thing in line with major public interests and should be supported and guided by relevant national policies.
In addition, the early R&D investment in the construction waste recycling industry is huge, which requires a lot of investment in both the recycling technology and equipment of construction waste and the formulation and establishment of the standard system of construction waste recycling. At present, the government’s support for the fixed investment of construction waste recycling enterprises still needs to be improved, and only some areas have introduced financial subsidy standards for the fixed investment of related enterprises, which needs to attract the attention of all sectors of society.
At the same time, China still lacks national policies and regulations, testing and application standards related to construction waste recycling products, which leads to different sizes of disposal sites in most places, uneven pollution-free treatment technologies, simple landfill of construction waste treatment, on-site sorting and sorting utilization and general backfilling also belong to low-level utilization, and the degree of mechanization is low, resulting in a low level of resource treatment of construction waste. (Legal Daily reporter Wan Jing)
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