The Management of Mineral Mass Flows and Deposits and its Role in the Circular Economy: The status in the Netherlands with a brief look at Norway

Summary There are two problems with the current urban landscape that make it unsustainable for the future. These problems are 1) the problems of overuse and depletion of natural resources and 2) waste creation and management (Jones, 2021). The construction and demolition (C&D) industry is a large actor in this, as they are responsible for a third of the natural resources extraction (Adams, Osmani, Thorpe & Thornback, 2017) and a quarter of the solid waste generation worldwide (Benachio, Freitas & Tavares, 2019). Therefore, it is crucial to transform the current activities of the C&D industry to sustainable ones by the use of circular economies. The aim of this thesis is to put the situation in the Netherlands into context with Norway. The main research question followed in this thesis is: What is the status of the management of mineral mass flows and deposits in the Netherlands? This question is supplemented by a secondary research question, namely: How does the status of the Netherlands stand in context to Norway, and how and why has the difference between the countries come to be? The research in this thesis consists of a case study of the Netherlands, for which qualitative research methods were used. Seven respondents were interviewed for this study to obtain data. These respondents were representatives of waste processing companies, C&D companies, and the Dutch government. For the Norway part of the study, research data from the researcher’s supervisor obtained through personal communication was used, as well as public online data. This is a case study of the Netherlands, put into context to Norway. The theoretical concepts of urban metabolism, circular economies and institutions and policy formed the basis for the data collection and analysis. The empirical framework discusses three dimensions of this research. First, an extensive overview is given on the different kinds of mineral materials in the system, and how they are generally processed and disposed of. From the numbers given, it is apparent that the majority of mineral wastes are recycled in the Netherlands, and only a fraction ends up in landfills. For Norway, it seems that the recycling rate is much lower than the Netherlands. Second, the rules and policies implemented in the EU, the Netherlands and Norway concerning mineral wastes, landfilling and C&D practices are discussed. There are multiple policies implemented to encourage circular practices. However, the rules are still lacking, allowing non-circular and even illegal practices to take place. Third, circularity within the mineral sector is discussed. This includes both current circular practices taking place, but also what the barriers to achieving more circularity are. The Netherlands is quite far along on the road towards mineral circularity, compared to other countries, while Norway is severely lacking in that area. The first reason is geography. The Netherlands has a need for less landfilling and strict rules surrounding it because the country is small, limiting the amount of space available, and groundwater levels are high, risking drinking water contamination. Norway does not experience either of these problems. A second reason that was given, is that the Netherlands is not very rich in mineral materials, such as rock and gravel. Import of these materials is expensive, and recycling is often a cheaper option. Once again, this is not a problem for Norway. A third and last reason given, is that the Netherlands already has the required infrastructure and technology available for the processing and recycling of waste because of investments in the past, which Norway does not have. However, the main reason that seems to determine the difference between the two countries, is policy. The policies implemented in the Netherlands are quite strict and enforce a high percentage of recycling and reuse. The policies were made with inputs from relevant actors and have been developing since the late 20th century, resulting in effective and clear rules. Norwegian policies are lacking and allow for illegal landfilling activities to take place while not enforcing a high circularity rate, showing the importance of enlightened policy making over a long time span. This thesis highlights the problem areas when it comes to implementing a more circular mineral economy. The results could contribute to finding more circular solutions for mineral wastes, by identifying where circularity is lacking and what the barriers to achieving circularity are. The case of the Netherlands is a good case. However, the case is not easy to replicate in other countries such as Norway. Norway does not have the same investments into circularity as the Netherlands, and it will take a number of years and investments to achieve a similar level of circularity. The study has revealed a significant knowledge gap in the research on mineral wastes in Norway specifically.

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