Inspection plans for buildings promoting reuse

 The overall policy extends over several legislative acts and ordinances, while this description only adheres to the revisions in the Planning and Building Act (2010:900), PBL, primarily concerning the inspection plan.

Revisions has been made in the Planning and Building Act (2010:900) as to make sure that developers and contractors, regarded as “producers” of re-usable building products as well as waste from construction and demolition works, enacts responsibility when it comes to re-using building products and recycling waste. Such an approach makes a change from earlier regulations that basically stated that hazardous waste and other waste had to be taken care of.

 From a consumption point of view, the possibility of re-using building products means a more responsible approach to several stages of the value chain, reducing the need for both raw materials and the making of new building products. It’s also probable that, while the re-use of building product may require some cleaning, re-packaging and transportation, the impact of those stages is second to the alternative disposal of the building products as waste.

 Hence, the requirement for inventory of re-usable building products, as well as the emphasis on high-grade recycling and safe separation of hazardous materials and compounds, makes a shift towards sustainable consumption and production.

 According to PBL, the developer must ensure that there is a plan for the inspection of construction or demolition measures, referred to as an inspection plan. In some cases, there also must be a person in charge of inspections (inspection manager). When an inspection manager is required, the building committee must without delay, after a permit has been issued or a report has come in, summon to a meeting for technical consultation.

 The policy resulted in revisions to PBL chapter 10, sections 6, 11 and 19, in the following ways:

 Section 6 was revised so that an inspection plan is to include information on which building products that are re-usable and how these are to be taken care of, and what waste the measures could give rise to and how such waste is to be taken care of, especially with regard for the possibility of

aa)     high-grade recycling, and

bb)    safe separation of hazardous materials and compounds.

 Sections 11 was revised so that the person in charge of inspections must, among other things, assist the developer in identifying waste and re-usable building products that the measures could give rise to.

 Section 19 was revised so that during the technical consultation meeting, the participants must go through how the identification of waste and re-usable building products has been conducted.