ISSN: 2067-533X INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSERVATION SCIENCE Volume 12, Issue 1, January-March 2021: 225-236 www.ijcs.ro WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE THERMAL INSULATION PRODUCTS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR Andreea HEGYI 1 , Cezar BULACU 2 , Henriette SZILAGYI 1 , Adrian-Victor LĂZĂRESCU 1,3, * , Dumitru Eugen COLBU 4 , Mihaela SANDU 5 1 NIRD URBAN-INCERC Sucursala Cluj-Napoca, 117 Calea Florești, Cluj-Napoca, 400524, Romania 2 MINET SA, 12 Depozitelor Street, Rm. Vâlcea, 240426, Romania 3 Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 15 Constantin Daicoviciu Street, Cluj-Napoca, 400020, Romania 4 Faculty of Geography and Geology, Doctoral School of Geosciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506, Romania 5 NIRD URBAN-INCERC, 266 Șos. Pantelimon, Bucharest, Romania, 021652 Abstract The current global situation requires the efficient management of waste and the assessment of the potential for the implementation of the principles of the circular economy in order to conserve natural resources and reduce the negative impact on the environment. The aim of the research is to analyze the potential of non-woven products (mattresses) made of recycled polymer fibers, intended for use in the field of thermal insulation of buildings, in relation to their density and thickness. At the same time, the benefits obtained by combining them with products based on recycled waste and sheep wool were evaluated. The experimental results indicated good performance in terms of thermal conductivity coefficient and heat transfer resistance of the analyzed products, which can be successfully included in the category of heat-insulating materials. The correlation of thermal performance with the thickness and density of the products highlighted the need to deepen the analysis, these two parameters being insufficient for the design of such material. However, by combining mattresses made of recycled polymer fibers with mattresses made of recycled denim fibers and / or sheep wool, the benefits in terms of thermal insulation performance are obvious. Keywords: Plastic waste recycling; Thermal insulation; Natural resource preservation; Energy consumption reduction; Environmental protection Introduction Huge amounts of plastics are consumed worldwide every year, mostly in the food packaging area – for example, in 2011 alone, a statistic from 27 EU states showed that, on average, each citizen generated around 159kg of waste from polymeric plastic packaging every year [1]. Globally, the requirement and production of plastics is increasing. As a result, huge amounts of waste are generated with a negative impact on water and land, considerable volumes of greenhouse gases are emitted, and non-renewable resources of raw materials and energy are consumed. According to Waste Directive 2008/98/EC, the objectives of waste management policies must aim at reducing the potential for waste generation, reducing resource consumption * Corresponding author: adrian.lazarescu@incerc-cluj.ro