Problem of utilization of asbestos-cement sheets in Poland

Ulewicz, Malgorzata; Liszewski, Wieslaw

Problem of utilization of asbestos-cement sheets in Poland

2023

Ulewicz, Malgorzata | Liszewski, Wieslaw

The management of construction and demolition waste in individual EU countries is very diverse, especially the management of asbestos waste. In Poland, asbestos-cement products until 1997 were a commonly used roofing material for both residential and farm buildings, especially in rural areas. Due to the harmfulness of this product, a ban on its production and use has been introduced in European countries. Poland, as the only country in the European Union, introduced in 2002 the “Programme for the removal of asbestos from the country for the years 2009–2032”, which defines activities related to the removal and disposal of asbestos products. The paper analyses the level of generated asbestos construction waste for individual voivodeships, and the degree of its development, together with the identification of obstacles in the effective process of disposal. It has been shown that the asbestos disposal process is very slow and impossible to implement within the assumed time limit. The cover replacement costs are high (net from EUR 54.71 to EUR96.60 per 1 square m of roof surface; calculated for the first quarter of 2023). The costs of replacing the asbestos-cement roofing with an environmentally safe one, made for a farm building with an area of 180 square m, are very high and range from EUR 11,135.54 to EUR 18,774.47. Currently, in Poland more than 60% of inventoried asbestos waste awaits disposal. The management of dismantled asbestos-cement coverings by depositing them in landfills is not an effective way of using this material, but only shifts the problem of its actual disposal in time.

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