The importance of re-use/recycle RAP: quick overview in Europe

Asphalt pavements are constructed using natural recourses that include aggregates and binders. These resources are limited, which makes the recycling of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) important for sustainable development. The Brundtland definition on sustainability speaks for itself: “Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Given that asphalt pavement is 100% re-usable/recyclable, sustainable development on this matter is at our reach. Also, this indicates that RAP is an important tool within the construction sector, to meet the challenging objectives of circular economy, which the European Commission included in “The European Green Deal”.

According to the 2020 asphalt figures provided by EAPA, RAP was used in 17 of the European countries providing data: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. The amount of RAP re-used/recycled was different in each country. Nevertheless, there is a general tendency to use more and more RAP over the years. The total amount used in these countries in 2020 was 46,4 million tonnes, being that the leading countries were Germany at 11,6 million tonnes (25% of the total), France at 6 million tonnes (13%) and Great Britain at 5 million tonnes (11%).

In general, although the overall usage of RAP in Europe seams to be increasing over the years, there is a lack of information regarding RAP use in several countries, as well as each countries’ intention to increase RAP consumption in the near future. As the goal is to reach the 100% RAP recycling, huge measures must be adopted by each country in order to reach this objective.