This draft Grand-Ducal Regulation proposes managing road materials and waste efficiently in Luxembourg by specifying the studies to be carried out on-site, the progress of the road works, the status of the materials extracted, the acceptable quantity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in these materials, the treatment of the materials mentioned as well as the monitoring of the site and the road network in general.

Draft Grand-Ducal Regulation on the prevention and management of road materials and waste

This draft Grand-Ducal Regulation proposes managing road materials and waste efficiently in Luxembourg by specifying the studies to be carried out on-site, the progress of the road works, the status of the materials extracted, the acceptable quantity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in these materials, the treatment of the materials mentioned as well as the monitoring of the site and the road network in general.

Repairing roadways and, by analogy, car parks and other similar surfaces often leads to non-negligible quantities of road material and waste. The surface courses of these structures are usually made from asphalt based on bitumens, which are materials that can be easily reused and recycled if they are retrieved selectively. These materials can, among other things, be recycled in facilities which produce bituminous materials.

The older structures of our roads contain various quantities of tar, to a large extent in the form of a tack coat between the rubble base and the surface course.

The tar contains carcinogenic substances known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with the most toxic of these being benzo[a]pyrene (BaP).

Materials showing a certain quantity of PAH, as specified by the present draft, can no longer be recycled in heat treatment facilities and facilities which produce bituminous materials because of the obvious risk of emissions into the air. However, there are cold treatment methods for these materials, which would allow for high-level reuse and recycling and, at the same time, counterbalance the imminent lack of quality mineral materials in the Grand Duchy. These cold treatment methods, with or without a hydraulic or bituminous binder, are introduced and defined by this draft in order to efficiently use our resources and ensure a high level of environmental protection.