Editorial: Waste as a Resource: A missed opportunity and a call for strategic climate action

by Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir

A recent article presented in Romanian mass-media reports that the Romania's Environment Minister has called for a law to allow construction waste to be re-used, thus following examples from other European states where such waste is considered a valuable resource and not mere rubble. This proposal is more than a technical regulation: it has the potential to reshape how we think about resources, resilience, and climate responsibility.
Construction and demolition wastes are part of a flow of materials that, without proper management, can burden landfills and contribute to greenhouse-gas emissions, both from waste decomposition and from the extraction of virgin materials to rebuild in their place. Directly redirected into reuse, recycling or material recovery, these materials can become essential inputs for sustainable infrastructure. Recycled concrete, crushed brick, reclaimed aggregates, all can be used to build permeable pavements, base layers for green-blue infrastructure, drainage channels, or structural elements for nature-based solutions (NBS).
That is precisely where institutions like Support Centers for Climate Actions (CSAC) come in. As a centre dedicated to advancing climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, CSAC has both the technical know-how and the institutional role to transform this policy proposal into concrete plans. In collaboration with local authorities, urban planners and environmental engineers, CSAC can help:

• integrate waste-derived materials into climate-resilient infrastructure — such as urban drainage, rain gardens, infiltration zones, and low-impact pavements;
• revise municipal and regional climate action plans (CAPs) to include waste valorization as a pillar of sustainable development;
• promote institutional and regulatory frameworks that treat construction waste not as cost, but as asset.

Moreover, this shift from linear waste disposal to circular reuse aligns with broader goals: reducing CO₂ emissions from construction, preserving natural resources, and lowering the carbon footprint of urban development. For Romania — a country still modernizing its built environment — the potential gains are substantial.
Finally, CSAC can support an effective implementation of this law by developing appropriate procedures that can help ensure that waste reuse becomes part of a broader strategy where environmental responsibility, social equity, urban resilience and climate mitigation go hand in hand.
In short — what others see as rubble, CSAC sees as an opportunity: a resource for resilience, a building block for sustainable cities, and a concrete step toward a climate-safe future.