Asbestos From Building and How to Advance in the Regulation of Its Permanent Elimination Through Inertization and Recycling. The Case of Italy and Spain

Asbestos has been used massively for multiple applications for a long time. However, once the diseases related to this material were discovered, the European Union decided to intervene in the matter through a complex regulation that the member states had to transpose into their national legal system. In this sense, the regulation of the elimination of waste from architectural constructions and their demolition is of special interest. For this reason, the objective of this study focuses on finding out if this regulation could be improved to advance the permanent elimination, and if possible recycling, of these materials. For this, the case of two countries (Italy and Spain) are analyzed comparatively, belonging to the European Union, and however, they present differences. To achieve this objective, the methodology is developed based on the study and comparative analysis of the regulation in both countries. Finally, the procedures and technologies for permanent elimination are analyzed, such as the conversion into inert material of asbestos, its possible regulation, and the need to undertake a regulation regarding the application of techniques based on the definitive elimination of the problem is confirmed, since the eternal deposit in a landfill is not a reasonable solution. Key Words: Asbestos, prohibition, landfill, disposal and recycling, Italy-Spain, inertization.