Strategies of Extended Producer Responsibility for Buildings
Publication: Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 9, Issue 2
Abstract
Buildings use large amounts of materials and produce much waste. Some building materials are recycled, but most become waste. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies require producers to be responsible for their products after their useful life. The basic drivers of EPR are reduced pollution and resource and energy use over a product’s life cycle. For buildings, EPR provides an opportunity to divert additional waste away from landfills and into reuse and recycling. Energy shortages and pollution prevention are concerns at regional and global levels, while material shortages occur in some regions. EPR can be achieved through regulatory, economic, or information instruments. Product takeback (PTB) is a regulatory instrument that requires producers to take back products at the end of their useful life and reuse or recycle them. This paper finds that PTB policies are not feasible for entire buildings, but many building materials and components are candidates for reuse and recycling. Using recycled materials may save energy, reduce virgin material use, and prevent pollution. Economic instruments can also be used to promote EPR for buildings, while information instruments are not as effective.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 9 • Issue 2 • June 2003
Pages: 65 - 74
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 11, 2002
Accepted: Dec 13, 2002
Published online: May 15, 2003
Published in print: Jun 2003
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