Abstract
Material stocks in economic society are considered to represent a reserve for future wastes and secondary resources. In this paper, we defined materials that have a high probability of emerging as wastes in the future as potential wastes and estimated that amount for construction minerals in Japan. We also identified the types of materials that have a low probability of emerging as wastes, i.e., non-potential wastes, and estimated that amount as well. The following conclusions were drawn. 1) We classified construction minerals input into economic society as potential wastes, potential dissipated materials, dissipatively used materials, and permanent structures. 2) The proportion of potential wastes was estimated to be about 30% of the total construction minerals that have been input into and accumulated in Japanese economic society. 3) Introduction of the concept of potential and non-potential wastes provides a more accurate assessment of the waste that will emerge in the future and environmental impacts and resource losses that non-potential wastes might generate.
