The implementation of the RE-MED project in Tunisia, which aims to transfer and experiment technologies for transforming construction and demolition waste (CDW) into resources for road construction and maintenance in Mediterranean countries, has helped finance two plants for the production of recycled aggregates from CDW, each worth pound 15,000, said Re-Med project coordinator Oumaya Marzouk. Speaking at the closing seminar of the "Application of Innovation for the Development of a Circular Economy for Sustainable Construction in the Mediterranean" (RE-MED) project, which has been running since October 2020 in four countries, namely Tunisia, France, Italy and Lebanon, Marzouk went on to say that the number of waste recycling units has increased to three following the establishment of these two new facilities in Greater Tunis and Gabes. The project has also helped set up cross-border training programmes in the field of circular economy for more than 1,000 students, including 50 in Tunisia, , she added. A RE-MED Community e-platform has also been set up to share knowledge between the project's beneficiary countries, and business models have been developed for investors. These economic models provide details on investment costs, return on investment and market information. Speaking at the event, Sarra Zenzri Zaafrani, Minister of Public Works and Housing, announced the completion of an innovative road in Ben Arous using recycled materials from construction waste. "This completed road is currently being tested. It is 1.2 km long and consists of four sections, three of which are made of recycled materials and the fourth is a reference section made of natural, non-renewable materials," she explained. This trial phase will allow analyses and comparisons to be made between the section built with recycled materials and the section built with natural materials, with a view to extending this pilot project to roads and agricultural tracks, creating a new investment market and new jobs," she added. This road will be equipped with sensors to monitor its behaviour in real time under traffic and climatic conditions, in order to evaluate the new road structures and analyse the impact of climatic variations. The pound 3.1 million project, 90% of which is funded by the European Union, was initiated to reduce the environmental and health impacts of poorly managed CDWs. Speaking at the event, Environment Minister Leila Chikhaoui highlighted the environmental and economic importance of this project, which falls under the circular economy. This project will contribute to the reuse of construction materials for roads and agricultural tracks, as well as for street furniture, especially given the scarcity of construction material resources, while getting rid of the huge amount of construction waste in Tunisia, thus preserving the environment and creating sources of income," she added. Since 2000, Tunisia has generated around 8 million m3 of CDW, 70% of which is located in the major coastal cities of Tunis, Sousse and Sfax. Dumped in the natural environment and in uncontrolled landfills, this waste represents a huge potential that could be exploited within the framework of the circular economy strategy.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse