Abstract
Construction and demolition waste constitutes a huge part of the solid waste management system and is continuous on the rise because of the booming housing and building industry worldwide. Construction and demolition waste is not clear in its definition; it differs according to the location and type of the project which make it complicated to find a generic solution to construction and demolition waste management problems. A comprehensive list of construction and demolition waste stream was formulated and used in the course of this study. A thorough literature review was conducted to study the end life of each of the components of the construction and demolition waste stream and their reuse or recycling option. The conventional treatment of construction and demolition waste which is dumping them in landfills was presented and its negative impact on the environmental and socio-economic aspects and on sustainability highlighted making recycling the most viable option. The study aims at having a clearer picture of C & D waste classification methods, its components and their end of life treatment and evaluating them through the lenses of zero waste management. Zero waste is a way that promotes changing lifestyle and, ideologies to reach the ultimate goal of sustainable development through eliminating waste and having materials that circulate in closed loops. Applying zero waste concept to manage construction and demolition waste would be a great improvement in waste management as it promotes the reuse of resources, preserves the environment and is considered a step towards a sustainable environment.
Highlights
This construction and demolition waste is not new worldwide and has started booming as population increased and their housing needs increased
Given the limited landfill space, and the increasing costs of effective environmental protection of landfill, it was obvious that action to reuse or recycle C & D waste is becoming critical, especially that natural resources are depleting causing a real threat to all countries
It is certain that C & D waste worldwide with its massive quantity and its adverse effect on the environment like the high risk of environmental pollution and resource depletion is a real threat to mankind
Summary
This construction and demolition waste is not new worldwide and has started booming as population increased and their housing needs increased. Zero waste concepts are based on the belief that waste is a potential resource with a good value to benefit from, rather than a problem to deal with It encourages the shift from one-way or linear resource cycle of use and disposal to a closed or circular flow of material. The zero waste approach is important in industrial and building processes as it promotes the full use of industrial or construction inputs in final products or modifying them to better fit other industries or processes without generating waste. This has an immense benefit of eliminating waste to land, air or water causing a positive impact on sustainability. Recovered resources, following the closed loops concept allow for more jobs and less waste which benefit greatly any country on many levels including the economical level
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