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Construction waste

Construction waste

ehituslammutus

Construction and demolition waste is waste generated during the construction, demolition, renovation or restoration of buildings or their parts. Construction waste must be collected separately at the point of origin and handed over to a waste handler that meets the requirements.

Construction waste is permitted to be reused and disposed of in designated disposal sites. 
All waste treatment plants in Tallinn accept construction waste from residents.

 

The construction site must collect at least:

Construction waste:

  • wood (impregnated and non-impregnated wood separately);
  • uncoated paper and cardboard;
  • metal (black and colourful metal separately);
  • mineral waste (stones, building stones and bricks, plaster, concrete, gypsum, sheet glass, etc.);
  • reinforced concrete and concrete parts;
  • tar-free asphalt;
  • plastic (film, styrofoam, plastic windows and other construction plastic).

     

Hazardous construction waste:

  • waste containing asbestos (asbestos concrete, asbestos cement tiles, asbestos cement pipes, insulation materials);
  • solvent-containing waste (paints, varnishes, glues, etc.);
  • impregnated wood (plywood, railway sleepers, etc.);
  • waste containing oil shale products (tar, some types of asphalt);
  • contaminated soil (residual pollution objects, underground fuel storage tanks, etc.);
  • graptolitic argillite (soil layer, with risk of spontaneous combustion).
The handling of asbestos-containing waste must be guided by Regulation No. 22 of the Minister of the Environment of 21 April 2004 “Requirements for the handling of asbestos-containing waste”.
 
Construction waste disposal sites
Company Address Service Construction and demolition waste
ATI Grupp OÜ Peterburi tee 94h reception concrete, asphalt, gypsum-based materials
PTT Recycling OÜ Peterburi tee 94h reception pre-sorted bricks, soil and stones including growing medium, mixed construction and demolition debris
Ragn-Sells AS   all over Estonia  transport concrete, bricks, mixed construction debris, wood, glass, plastic, asphalt, gypsum-based materials, soil and stones including growing medium, hazardous construction waste including polluted soil
Eesti Keskkonnateenused AS Betooni tn 28c reception (contract customer only), transport  concrete, bricks, mixed construction debris, wood, glass, plastic, asphalt, stones, gypsum-based materials, growing and excavation soil, paper and cardboard
Prügiekspert OÜ   Harju County  transport concrete, bricks, mixed construction debris, wood, glass, gypsum-based materials, growing and excavation soil, metal, stones, asbestos-containing materials (including asbestos concrete), hazardous waste (paints, solvents, oils), tyres etc., household waste, organic waste, liquid waste, office and home equipment, furniture
EcoPro AS Betooni tn 17 reception, transport hazardous construction waste including materials containing asbestos
AS Epler & Lorenz  Harju County reception (only household waste, waste from companies is accepted on the basis of a waste management contract)  hazardous waste (oil-containing waste, paints, varnishes, glues, solvents, chemicals, contaminated packaging and wiping material, asbestos-containing waste), general waste (including construction waste and furniture) 
ASEN OÜ Betooni tn 30  reception, transport  untreated wood including branches, bark and wooden packaging

Waste may only be handed over to a company with a corresponding environmental protection permit. The existence and validity of the environmental protection permit can be checked here.

Instructions for project designers
  • The design of the building must be based on the requirements of the Tallinn Waste Management Regulation.
  • The construction project must provide an overview of the organisation of waste collection by type.
  • It is recommended to place the household waste collection bin in a waste house, under a roof or in an enclosure. The bin must be placed on a base with a hard surface (concrete, asphalt, stone parquet, etc.) at the same level as the bin lorry emptying it and up to 10 m away from the nearest possible stopping place of the lorry.
  • The transport path for the waste bin must have a sufficient load capacity to ensure that the waste bin can be moved to the lorry on wheels.
  • A bin that cannot be moved by hand must be designed in such a way that it can be emptied into a bin lorry directly from its location.
  • To empty a deep collection bin, access by lorry must be ensured from a distance of at least 3 m.
  • There must be no vehicles or other obstacles in the area between the bin lorry stop and the deep collection bin.
  • The access road to the bin must have sufficient bearing capacity and be flat. It must allow for the bin to be easily moved by hand. The access road must be at least 3.5 m wide and the clear height above the road must be at least 4.5 m, except in the Old Town area, where the clear height above the road must be at least 2.9 m.
  • Placing the household waste collection bin on the basement or semi-basement floor is only allowed with the permission of the Tallinn Strategic Management Office. The bin must be located at least 5 m away from the residential building located on the neighbouring property. The bin must be at least 2 m away from a door, window or other opening in the outer wall of the building, except in the Old Town area, unless compliance with fire safety requirements has been proven in another reliable way.
  • The number of waste bins must meet the requirements given in Appendix 3 of the Tallinn Waste Management Regulations.
  • Food waste generated on a residential property can only be composted on site in a closed composting bin protected from pests. Garden and landscape waste can be composted in bulk in a pile. The composting bin and pile must be located at least 3 m from the neighbouring property and 4 m from the building.
  • When applying for a building permit to demolish a building, the construction project must include, among other things:
  • mapping of hazardous materials found in the building to be demolished, their expected types, location, quantities and requirements for their safe collection and handling by type;
  • approximate amounts of materials and products obtained, possible places for reusing and handling, collection and handling of waste by type. (Regulation no. 67 of the Minister of the Environment of 17 September 2010 § 27)
Instructions for construction workers
  • Construction waste management must be based on the Waste Act and Chapter 3 of the Tallinn Waste Management Regulations.
  • The management of construction waste is the responsibility of the waste manager, i.e. the owner of the building, unless otherwise stipulated in the contract between the construction company or real estate developer.
  • Construction waste may not be handed over for transport, disposal or reuse to a person who does not have the relevant environmental protection permit or who is not registered as a construction waste handler.
  • The manager of construction waste is obliged to:
  • Apply all technological and other options for the separate collection of construction waste at the point of origin
  • Apply all possibilities for reusing construction waste
  • Take measures to prevent the generation of dust when placing construction waste in bins, loading it onto trucks or reusing it on site
  • Prepare a flat, hard surface for placing waste bins
  • Co-ordinate with the Tallinn Transport Department when performing construction and repair works regarding temporary installation of waste bins on the streets. A permit must be obtained to temporarily close a street. See application.
  • Ensure that the property or plot has separately marked bins for the collection of household waste and hazardous waste
  • Inform your employees about the waste management requirements established by the regulations.
  • Make sure the builder has a contract for the removal of household waste with a company that has a relevant environmental protection permit during construction.
  • Specify the balance of the volumes of earthwork and the handling operations and locations of the excavated soil in the construction project. Explain how waste is collected by type on the construction site.
  • During construction, all documents related to waste management must be collected, e.g. transfer and receipt acts for waste reuse, transfer and receipt acts for soil disposal and approvals and registration certificates issued by the Estonian Environmental Board. An environmental supervision specialist of the state and local government has the right to consult the documents at every stage of construction.
  • Submit documents (invoices, checks) attesting to the proper handover of construction and demolition waste for reuse or disposal during the use permit or notification phase. Justify why waste was not collected separately on the construction site when construction and demolition debris was generated.

Soil pollution

When performing excavation works, the properties of the soil must be assessed based on scent and visual appearance. If there is a scent characteristic of fuel in the excavated soil or if you see oil pollution clearly visible in the soil layers, please inform the Circular Economy Department of the Tallinn Strategic Management Office immediately ([email protected]). Read more about soil pollution elimination. 

Last modified 21.02.2024