Abstract
The need for effective construction waste management is growing in importance, due to the increasing generation of construction waste and to its adverse impacts on the environment. However, despite the numerous studies on construction waste management, recovery of construction waste through Industrial Symbiosis and the adoption of other inter-firm practices, comprised within Industrial Ecology field of study, have not been fully explored. The present research aims to investigate Industrial Ecology contributions to waste management in industrial construction. The waste management strategies adopted in two industrial construction projects in Brazil are analyzed. The main waste streams generated are identified, recycling and landfilling diversion rates are presented and waste recovery through Industrial Symbiosis is discussed. A SWOT analysis was carried out. Results demonstrate that 9% of the waste produced in one of the projects was recovered through Industrial Symbiosis, while in the other project, waste recovery through Industrial Symbiosis achieved the rate of 30%. These data reveal Industrial Symbiosis’ potential to reduce landfilling of industrial construction wastes, contributing to waste recovery in construction. In addition, results show that industrial construction projects can benefit from the following synergies common in Industrial Ecology place-based approaches: centralized waste management service, shared waste management infrastructure and administrative simplification.
Highlights
The construction industry permeates most of the economic sectors as it transforms various resources into the constructed infrastructure necessary for socio-economic development
In the independent waste management strategy adopted in Project A, each contractor is responsible for managing the waste generated by its activities
In order to investigate if industrial construction sites can benefit from synergies offered by the geographical proximity between contractors, to what is observed in Eco-Industrial Parks (EIP), the results of the SWOT analysis have been employed to discuss the potential and limits of application of the synergistic practices mentioned in Section 2 (Table 3) in industrial construction
Summary
The construction industry permeates most of the economic sectors as it transforms various resources into the constructed infrastructure necessary for socio-economic development. In Project B, a joint waste management strategy, based on inter-firm practices, is implemented In this strategy, the waste generated in the activities of all contractors involved in the project are managed jointly. The waste generated in the activities of all contractors involved in the project are managed jointly These indicators were selected based on previous studies about waste management systems indicators [54,55,56,57,58] and on studies focused on waste recovery through Industrial Symbiosis [23,31]. Based on the SWOT analysis, the potential and limits of application of the synergistic practices listed in Table 3 in industrial construction is discussed
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