Abstract

The European Gypsum Industry is taking measures to reduce, re-use, and recycle gypsum waste, therefore contributing to the 70% target for preparing for re-use, recycling, and other material recovery of non-hazardous Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste by 2020, set down in Directive 2008/98/EC. An overview of current practices towards higher recycling rates of gypsum waste in ten European countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, and the United Kingdom) is presented: from the type of gypsum waste generated to the diverse technical specifications required for the recycled gypsum. The objective is to analyze peculiarities of each country in the path towards achieving a circular economy in the European Gypsum Industry. The results show how in 5 out of the 10 countries under study—Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland—only pre-consumer gypsum waste is being diverted from landfill, whereas in Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, apart from pre-consumer gypsum waste, gypsum waste coming from construction and demolition building sites (post-consumer gypsum waste) is also being processed, and the resulting recycled gypsum is being successfully reincorporated in the manufacturing process, therefore effectively closing the loop of this material.