Assessing the construction and demolition waste volume for a typical Mediterranean residential building

Abstract

Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) effective management is of vital importance, especially regarding the climate-neutral economy target set for 2050. The common practice of landfilling them during the past decades and ignoring the environmental impacts is now obsolete, with countries around the world adopting national regulations for their proper treatment. The lack of data on the CDW volume produced every year both in the European region and at the Greek national level is evident, in contrast with Asian or American regions, and introduces a great uncertainty in the field. This study aims at estimating the CDW quantities produced by a typical multi-storey residential building in Greece, built in the mid-20th century, made of reinforced concrete and filling masonry walls. The subsidized renovation programs by the European Union, which have a great impact on the Greek domain, are also considered, so two renovation procedures are considered during the building’s lifespan, resulting in an extended lifetime of the building along with additional CDW quantities produced on each renovation procedure. Challenges regarding the disposal, recycling and reuse potential and alternatives of the distinct CDW types produced are presented, based on the international literature available data.