Recycled Aggregates from Construction Waste
KS Certification Now Streamlined with a Single Application
Key Step: Passage of Construction Waste Management Act Amendment
The quality certification system for aggregates made from processed construction waste will be unified. Until now, two separate ministries operated their own certification systems, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will now manage the system through a single KS certification.
On the 25th, the Ministry announced that it has designated three items as subject to KS certification in order to integrate the quality certification of recycled aggregates into the KS certification system. However, full integration will only be achieved once the bill to abolish the existing certification system passes the National Assembly.
Aggregates by Thickness. Recycled aggregates refer to aggregates made by physically or chemically processing construction waste to meet quality standards. Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Aggregates refer to materials such as sand and gravel that are mixed to make concrete or asphalt. They are essential materials for constructing buildings or paving roads. Recycled aggregates are produced by crushing and sorting concrete and asphalt debris from demolition sites by size, then processing them for reuse. Their use is increasing as they help reduce environmental damage caused by extracting natural aggregates and enable the recycling of construction waste.
To produce or sell recycled aggregates, companies must obtain quality certification. The issue was that there were two separate certification authorities: the quality certification under the Construction Waste Management Act (overseen by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) and the KS certification under the Industrial Standardization Act (overseen by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards). From the companies' perspective, this meant having to obtain similar certifications twice for the same product, which was a burden.
On the 22nd, the Ministry held a Technical Review Committee for Construction Works and designated three types of recycled aggregates as subject to KS certification: recycled aggregates for asphalt concrete (KS F 2572), recycled aggregates for concrete (KS F 2573), and recycled aggregates for road sub-base (KS F 2574). In August, the Ministry had taken over the KS standard work related to recycled aggregates from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
From now on, companies seeking quality certification for recycled aggregates can apply for KS certification through the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, the certification body.
The bill to abolish the quality certification system under the Construction Waste Management Act (sponsored by Assemblywoman Lim Ija) is currently pending in the National Assembly. Once the amendment passes, the process of integrating the quality certification systems will be complete.
The Ministry plans to enhance management standards by reviewing not only product quality but also quality management, material management, and process management during the KS certification assessment.
Kim Seonghwan, Director of the Construction Industry Division at the Ministry, stated, "Since aggregates are the foundation of the safety of buildings and facilities, the supply of high-quality aggregates is crucial. We will strive to ensure that recycled aggregates are smoothly supplied to the construction market through the unified KS certification, thereby stabilizing aggregate supply and strengthening the competitiveness of the construction industry."
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