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Busan Metropolitan City to Prevent Improper Handling of Waste Asphalt Concrete and Secure the Quality of Recycled Aggregates to Ensure Public Safety

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Busan Metropolitan City Establishes “Waste Asphalt Concrete Management Measures” to Build a Systematic Construction Waste Management System!

Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Park Heong-joon announced that the city has established “Waste Asphalt Concrete Management Measures” and will begin full-scale implementation from February to strengthen management and oversight across the entire process of generation and processing of waste asphalt concrete, and to verify the quality of recycled asphalt products made using waste asphalt concrete.

Waste asphalt concrete generated from construction sites (roadworks) contains petroleum-based oily components, and when it is recycled as recycled aggregate, its use is limited to producing recycled asphalt for road construction. If it is mixed with other types of construction waste and made into recycled aggregate that is then used for civil engineering works as fill and cover soil, or if it is illegally landfilled, it contaminates surrounding soil and threatens public health, causing secondary environmental damage.

Fill and cover soil: Recycled aggregate made from construction waste that is reused for fill (mainly for embankment construction to raise ground level) or cover soil (soil laid over the exposed surface of a landfill, etc.).

Recycled asphalt refers to asphalt made by mixing recycled aggregate produced from waste asphalt concrete with natural aggregate. The quality of recycled products is recognized through quality certification, eco-label certification, performance certification for small and medium enterprise products, association standard certification, and other certifications.

Accordingly, to prevent environmental pollution and ease public concerns, Busan Metropolitan City has, for the first time, established “Waste Asphalt Concrete Management Measures” and will ensure the proper processing of waste asphalt concrete and promote its circulation by producing recycled asphalt using recycled aggregate made from waste asphalt concrete.

The detailed measures focus on building a management system through monthly reporting of waste asphalt concrete processing performance, introducing quality tests for recycled aggregate, and promoting construction waste recycling.

Monthly reporting of waste asphalt concrete processing performance
The city will establish a reporting system for waste asphalt concrete, targeting 15 construction waste intermediate treatment companies within the city (as of 2024, 44 companies). Under this system, reports will cover approximately 440,000 tons of waste asphalt concrete per year (as of 2024). By monitoring monthly the acceptance, intermediate treatment, and recycling performance of waste asphalt concrete generated within the city, the city will eradicate improper handling of waste asphalt concrete.

Introducing quality tests for recycled aggregate
For companies suspected of improper handling of waste asphalt concrete, the city will conduct tests on recycled aggregate produced from waste asphalt concrete, including waste analysis (to confirm hazardous substances are within standards) and soil contamination tests (to confirm contamination levels are within soil contamination concern standards). This is expected to block secondary environmental pollution caused by waste asphalt concrete.

Promoting construction waste recycling
In addition to strengthening monitoring and oversight of construction waste intermediate treatment companies and conducting recycled aggregate quality tests, the city will hold meetings with construction waste intermediate treatment companies on a regular basis. Through these meetings, the city will listen to industry issues and difficulties in the waste asphalt concrete processing process and, if necessary, plan to provide administrative support or propose amendments to relevant laws.

Busan Metropolitan City will continue efforts to build a management system necessary for the circular use of construction waste in pursuit of an eco-friendly city of Busan.

The city enacted and promulgated a municipal ordinance on December 31 of last year that includes provisions such as mandatory use of recycled aggregate, in order to promote the use of recycled aggregate (including recycled aggregate made from waste asphalt concrete and recycled asphalt) made from construction waste in public-sector construction projects, ahead of other cities and provinces. In addition, the city will partially revise the ordinance, becoming the second in the nation to recommend that the legally required amount of recycled aggregate usage be at least 50 percent (above 40 percent) by December 2025, and will implement it from this year.

This management measure aligns with the intent of introducing the above ordinance. It establishes a management system by introducing a reporting system and recycled aggregate quality tests specifically for waste asphalt concrete, which contains petroleum-based oily components among construction waste. Going forward, the city plans to extend the management system to all construction waste and continue efforts to build an eco-friendly city of Busan.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This measure is meaningful in that it moves beyond one-off crackdowns and establishes a reporting system for construction waste, thereby laying an institutional foundation for advancing toward a circular economy society.” He added, “To ensure proper handling of waste asphalt concrete and public safety, we will continue necessary consultations with district and county offices and relevant industries so that this measure operates effectively on the ground.”