Barriers to improving construction and demolition waste management in Bangladesh

Abstract

In Bangladesh, the minimisation of construction and demolition waste (CDW) generation is a demanding need to alleviate the environmental burden. Various barriers limit the effective CDW management strategies in this economy. Hence, this paper aims to explore the major obstacles to managing construction and demolition waste in Bangladesh. Major barriers identified in previous studies were selected through a literature review, and a tentative question list was prepared. Afterwards, by the suggestion of four experts, a structured questionnaire was designed to collect the respondents' knowledge on CDW, impacts of CDW and 19 barriers that hinder the effective implementation of CDW management. On-site visits and face-to-face interviews were to collect research data. The results of the questionnaire survey were analysed using ranking analysis. The findings show that waste generation in construction and demolition sites is different. Primary wastes generated in demolition sites are concrete and bricks, whereas in construction sites, the percentage of concrete, timber, brick, metal, sand, etc., is high. This study also evaluated that female respondent, mainly field workers, have more knowledge about CDW management than males. However, the number of female workers is few due to socio-cultural barriers. Based on the ranking analysis, the four most significant barriers that were identified hindering the effective CDW management are: 'Negligence and carefree attitude of workers', 'Poor supervision', 'Inadequate workers' skill', 'Space lacking for on-site storage'. The current study contributes to the field by identifying and highlighting the challenges to CDW management implementation in Bangladesh and providing remedial solutions to the identified barriers. Furthermore, the results could be helpful to provide information for developing strategies to improve CDW management strategies in Bangladesh.