Implementing a national collection system for PU waste in Belgium
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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: a collective problem asks for a collective solution. That’s why we’re collaborating with different partners from across the industry to close the loop on insulation waste in Belgium. With PUrability, we’re looking to establish a PU waste take-back and collection system, which will provide us – along with the rest of the industry – with the necessary volumes to create new high-quality products from construction waste.
Progress status
| 🚀 STAGE | STUDY 🡆 Lab testing 🡆 Pilot trial 🡆 Launch 🡆 Upscale |
| 📈 NEXT STEP | Start pilot trials |
“We want to take action ahead of the legislation and help steer the construction industry towards a circular future.”
Project description
What is it?
PUrability is a collaborative initiative of the PU insulation industry to establish a voluntary PU scrap take-back system for construction waste in Belgium. The primary focus is on the collection and processing of cut-offs from the installation of PU insulation boards in buildings.
How do we do it?
PUrability is a collaborative initiative of the PU insulation industry to establish a voluntary PU scrap take-back system for construction waste in Belgium. The primary focus is on the collection and processing of cut-offs from the installation of PU insulation boards in buildings.
How do we do it?
The first step was to gain insight into the volume of PU boards available on the Belgian market, the share of collected cut-offs, and the most effective collection systems for advanced recycling.
In short, we found that …
- There are 72.45 kilotonnes of PU boards circulating on the Belgian market, of which 48% is intended for use as cavity wall insulation, 43% for the insulation of roofs, and 9% for other purposes.
- 24% of boards are delivered directly to the construction site, whereas 76% first go to retailers, wholesalers, or distribution centers.
- The majority of PU cut-offs, about 7.5% of all PU boards sold across Belgium, end up in a container for mixed construction waste. That’s about 5.4 kilotonnes of PU scrap that goes to the incinerator for energy recovery.
With PUrability, we’ve analyzed and assessed 5 different waste collection methods. If we want to recycle PU scrap into high-value components, selective collection in bags in containers for mixed waste seems to be the best way forward.
The result
Based on these insights, we’ve launched a 6-month trial project on the collection of PU scrap from construction sites in the Antwerp Province. Interested contractors can request free 400- and 100-litre bags from waste management and recycling specialists Remondis and Bruco to sort their PU scraps in containers for mixed waste. The bags include clear sorting instructions, to make sure they’re used for the selective collection of cut-offs only and not for mixed waste. The collected waste will be recycled for reuse in in insulating screed or insulation boards.
During this 6-month project, we’ll be closely monitoring the number of bags requested along with the volume of PU scrap collected and the volume and quality of the recycled cut-offs.
“The next step is to collect a large enough volume of pure PIR waste to be able to draw conclusions that can apply to the entire sector.”