Strategies for innovation in construction and demolition waste management in Brazil

The paper aims to present the strategies for innovation in construction and demolition waste
management in Brazil and to compare them with international ones. The CDW traditional management
is very costly to local authorities including several environmental impacts. The Brazilian experience
shows that a policy based only on regulation of CDW transportation and landfilling is not totally
efficient in controlling illegal dumping. The policy has to be complemented with a network of transfer
stations, which cuts down the transportation costs, making illegal dumping less attractive. Despite
CDW landfills being a feasible option in small towns, recycling will be a very important tool in big cities
like São Paulo.
The new policy, as presented by National Resolution 307, is rapidly changing the actual situation,
mainly in major cities. In the near future the major market for CDW recycled aggregate will be in road
paving activities, but the development of new applications for such materials will be necessary in order
to obtain massive recycling and to avoid using sanitary landfills for CDW.
The existence of a comprehensive set of research results demonstrating the social cost of CDW
mismanagement as well as material wastage rates was crucial because it produced public awareness
to the problem and enhanced the discussion within the supply chain. The importance of research on
public policy formulation and technological and scientific approaches were presented.