Urban Click
The project idea called Urban Click is focused on finding a solution to promote recycling and reuse of construction and demolition waste (CDW) within the construction sector in urban areas of Europe.
However, the construction sector is very broad and comprises many different sub-sectors, such as housing, industries, and more. Therefore, this project will focus specifically on housing, given that this sub-sector has the largest volume of waste produced annually in Europe (European Commission, 2019).
Similarly, the project focusses on urban areas, since the urban population is increasing exponentially. Estimates of the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UN DESA 2018) indicate that 68% of the world's population is projected to live in urban areas by 2050. In addition, according to the report of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT, 2010), 60% of the area expected to be urban by 2030 is not yet built.
The assumption is that the main driver in promoting reuse and recycling of CDW is the high cost derived from the final disposal of such waste, which generally occurs in landfills, prices that have to be paid by building owners.
In addition to paying for landfilling, the building owner has to cover the cost of transporting the waste, which can result in high costs, since landfills are located in remote areas of cities.
By promoting the recycling of CDW, it is possible to save up to 60% of the cost of giving the materials for recycling rather than sending to landfills.