Guidelines to Improve Construction and Demolition Waste Management in Portugal

Nowadays, few measures have been carried out to improve the relationship among construction site activities, the environment and the citizens. Maybe due to the mobility of the construction activity, it is difficult to make the construction companies ­ especially the smallest ones ­ keep the law. There are some good examples but they are still insufficient. The production of legal documents that encourages a more environmentally positive behaviour, that is, that arouse and force the construction industry to handle its debris and by-products more carefully, is of vital importance to the contribution of this sector for sustainable development for the which all must contribute. In this context, special mention must be made to the mandatory, in public projects, of a waste management plan, which must be made during the design stage. It seems to be a correct and effective way to highlight the importance of waste management and to get all the participants involved, from the design to the construction stage. This change, however, must be accompanied by public awareness campaigns. It is not enough to stress that the plan is mandatory. The plan's importance must be addressed too. It will be easier to reach our goals if all kwon the advantages and importance of such a plan. Due to the need for adaptation and improvement of existing buildings taking into account the new standards of quality and comfort, the works involving demolition of buildings or parts of buildings are becoming increasingly frequent in Portugal. Thus, the study of practical solutions that point to the reuse of building materials and components, will contribute to decrease the urban problem created by illegal landfills ­ bringing