Unlocking the Potential of Construction Waste Reuse in Slovenia: Challenges and Solutions

Construction activities in Slovenia generate significant amounts of waste, primarily from excavated soil and the demolition of existing structures. The reuse of construction waste is a key aspect of sustainable construction, but its implementation poses numerous challenges. Excavation, a fundamental stage of construction projects, often results in large surpluses of clean or slightly contaminated soil. On a societal level, these surpluses become significant, especially when considering the dredging of sediments from rivers, lakes and marine areas. Additionally, the demolition of buildings produces considerable waste that requires proper processing to be transformed into reusable materials. Although the benefits of reusing construction waste are widely recognized, there are several barriers to its widespread application. These include legal, organizational, logistical, and technical challenges. Regulatory barriers arise from complex legislation and the lack of clear guidelines for the reuse of excavated soil. Organizational issues arise from the need for comprehensive planning, contractual agreements, and alignment among stakeholders. Logistical constraints involve transportation, storage and the coordination of supply and demand for secondary materials. Implementation challenges are related to the lack of standardized testing procedures to assess the geochemical and geotechnical properties of materials intended for reuse. This paper presents a framework for the reuse of construction waste in pavement structures and proposes solutions to overcome these challenges. The analysis and structural design process includes data collection, target definition, determination of structural elements, consideration of environmental and technical conditions, formulation of optimal technical solutions, and selection of the best solution based on economic, environmental, and technical criteria. The successful reuse of construction waste as a valuable secondary raw material in modern construction requires close collaboration between regulatory authorities, investors, designers, and contractors. Only through coordinated efforts can Slovenia fully exploit the potential of construction waste for sustainable development.