The transition towards a circular economy is a global challenge. The construction sector, being one of the biggest waste streams in Europe, is responsible for appr. 40% of the EU’s total waste generation and consumes extensive amounts of resources - appr. 50% of all extracted virgin materials. With this background, the sector is expected to quickly transform and follow a circular journey in line with European Green Deal principles and is considered also among the sectors with the highest greening potential.
In this context, the MOBICCON-PRO project introduces and demonstrates a systemic, circular and mobile solution in the region of South-East Europe (SEE) improving the recovery and recycling of Construction & Demolition Waste (CDW). The project combines physical solutions adapted to the ground with innovative selective separation and deconstruction technologies with a view to scale up the production and use of recycled construction materials.
A cornerstone of the project is the deployment of a mobile pilot plant (MPP) for the production of high-quality recycled construction materials and products. The mobility of the installation ensures its positioning closer to the locations where CDW is actually generated or landfilled and where considerable quantities are available for processing. The MPP could be compacted both at municipal and regional level where no recycling facilities are available, as well as at large infrastructure sites. Its mobility results in saving considerable emissions from further transportation of CDW and construction materials. According to early estimates, in its inaugural year of operation, the plant was anticipated to process a minimum of 55,000 tons of CDW and it was achieved during its first year of operation; while by its seventh year of commission, it is expected to handle roughly 172,000 tons/per year, with about 160,000 tons being reused in construction as recycled materials.
Beyond the technical solutions, the partners of MOBICCON-PRO are conscious as well of the socio-economic and policy drivers necessary for the transition to a circular economy. Therefore, an essential part of the project is the establishment and long-term operation of a Territorial Circular Center - TCC (hub) for CDW where private, public and scientific key stakeholders, as well as citizens, will cooperate to bring circularity to the construction ecosystem in the region. Moreover, the TCC will shed also light on the policy measures needed to improve the overall legislative framework of construction materials in order to facilitate the market uptake of recycled products.
The MOBICCON-PRO innovative equipment and mobile technical solutions will be demonstrated in different environments at local and regional level in order to prove the sustainability, viability and replicability of the systemic concept at a large scale and the extended region of SEE.
