Construction Waste Management Research Articles

Accreditation system for construction and demolition waste recycling facilities in Egypt

ABSTRACT The Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) recycling industry is one of the important elements of sustainability as it reduces carbon emissions and energy consumption. One of the main actions in the action plan of the Construction and Demolition Waste Management National Strategy in Egypt is establishing quality management system for CDW recycling. Developing accreditation system for CDW facilities is one of the tasks of this action that has a high priority due to government recommendations. This research aims to promote standardization and quality through an accreditation system for CDW recycling facilities. The developed accreditation system is composed of six main elements and several criteria. The relative importance of each element and criteria in the developed system is determined using multiple criteria analysis. The study revealed that the most important elements are the equipment and the availability of documents while the least are health and safety. A Microsoft Excel checklist is developed and used for evaluating of C&D waste recycling facilities to be accredited so as to ensure the quality of C&D waste management process and recycled products. It is also used to classify the CDW recycling facilities.

Cornell university campus metabolism and circular economy using a living laboratory approach to study major resource and material flows

Urban metabolism (UM) resembles the metabolism of living organisms in a community context by consuming necessities and excreting waste. Exercising UM with a circular economy concept enhances sustainable practices by circulating energy and materials, minimizing and closing waste loops to push a system for a net-zero goal. This research tracks energy and material flows in the energy, food waste, and construction materials sectors of Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, serving as a case study for campus metabolism. These three sectors are the top emitters and are interconnected at the food-water-energy nexus in terms of emissions. In addition to the flow analysis, the study includes environmental and economic evaluations of the proposed digestate composting and estimation of embodied emissions for construction material building stocks. The results suggest that Cornell needs to transition from natural gas to geothermal for a rapid shift towards renewable energy and to increase circularity within the sector. Regarding food waste, the proposed digestate composting reduces emissions by 16–39 metric tons of CO2e with a financial gain of US$90 k to US$400 k per fiscal year compared to the traditional food waste composting practice. Lastly, the proportional evaluation between operational emissions from the energy sector and embodied emissions from stored building materials shows a decreasing trend in the contribution of operational emissions from 46.42% to 26.86% in 2008 and 2021, respectively. This result highlights the immediate need for Cornell's construction waste management to prevent future emissions of embodied carbon into the environment. The campus metabolism study advances our understanding of potential energy and material flows, along with emissions offsets, among the three sectors to achieve the goal of decarbonization. This study can unlock sustainability pathways and accelerate Cornell's progress toward carbon neutrality by 2035.

Construction and Demolition Waste Management in a Developing Country: A Nigerian Scenario

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is an important waste composition receiving attention from policymakers and researchers globally due to the negative impacts associated with its management. This paper explores construction and demolition waste management (CDWM) in Nigeria with a view to understanding CDWM’s practices as perceived by the policymakers, waste managers and other stakeholders in the construction industry. A descriptive qualitative research design was adopted with data obtained from secondary sources. Findings revealed that CDWM is not a recent phenomenon in Nigeria but there is a renewed interest in it in the last decade. Findings also revealed that CDW does not receive the deserved attention from the constituted authority and stakeholders in the construction industry. While there is a low level of awareness regarding the negative impacts of CDW on public health and the environment, most construction firms and contractors have resorted to unsustainable disposal methods of open dumping, burning, and landfilling. Further findings revealed the potential for sustainable CDWM of reusing, recycling, and composting. Finally, the paper put forward recommendations that would chart a course for sustainable CDWM in Nigeria if implemented.

Design and Validation of a Mobile Application for Construction and Demolition Waste Traceability

Many studies have developed technologies intended to automate the process toward improving sustainability and achieving a circular economy in the construction industry. Despite some research works that have been recently conducted to help construction agents in the management of construction and demolition waste (CDW), developing new CDW monitoring and traceability tools—through a collaborative and integrative approach—is still an urgent challenge. This paper developed a hybrid mobile app for the real-time traceability of construction waste generation and management, where agents involved in CDW management can work together and trace the generation and management of waste. For this, a research method was developed following three stages: (1) planning and design, including identification of the information to be incorporated in the app and the output data; (2) development of the app; and (3) app testing by several construction agents, stressing the benefits and limitations. The developed app allows not only estimating but also tracing the amount of CDW generated in a construction project, ensuring the correct management and control of the waste. In addition, it promotes collaborative work, as the agents involved in CDW management, i.e., construction companies, site managers, truck drivers, waste managers, and management plants, can work together and see in real-time the management of the waste.

Developing sustainable management strategies in construction and demolition wastes using a q-rung orthopair probabilistic hesitant fuzzy set-based decision modelling approach

Sustainable management of construction and demolition wastes (CDWs) has become a pressing global issue in social, environmental and economic contexts, and it involves complex technological, engineering, management and regulatory challenges. Recently, many CDW management strategies have been developed based on the barrier attributes of reuse distribution. However, no strategy can simultaneously address all barrier attributes of reuse distribution. Furthermore, no research has assessed and modelled the identified CDW management strategies to determine optimality. On this basis, the presence of multiple barrier attributes, varying attribute priority and a wide range of data allow for the modelling of CDW management strategies under complex multiple-attribute decision-making (MADM) problems. This study develops the fuzzy-weighted zero inconsistency (FWZIC) and fuzzy decision by opinion score method (FDOSM)-based multiplicative multiple objective optimisation by ratio analysis (MULTIMOORA) with the q-rung orthopair probabilistic hesitant fuzzy set (q-ROPHFS) to address this problem. The developed q-ROPHFS–FWZIC method prioritised and weighted the main and sub-barrier attributes of reuse distribution in CDW management strategies. The developed q-ROPHFS–FDOSM is used to score the CDW management strategies. Then, the MULTIMOORA method is used to model 51 CDW management strategies to determine the optimum one. Results showed that Strategy 46 modelled first in six q values because it had the most essential attributes (i.e. cost, market, value-for-money, experience, infrastructure, management, risk and trust). Strategy 17 and Strategy 20 are the least sustainable strategies because they had only one attribute (i.e. experience). Sensitivity analysis, systematic modelling and comparison analysis are conducted to validate and evaluate the stability and robustness of the proposed methods. The implications of this study would likely benefit various stakeholders involved in the construction industry, including construction companies, architects, engineers, policy-makers and members of the public.

Identifying the Initiatives of Construction Waste Management in Malaysia towards achieving Sustainable Construction

Construction waste management is not a new topic in the construction industry. It involves the management of waste material arising from construction, renovation, and demolition activities as such concrete, timber, steel, and plastics products. The poor construction waste management practice has led to failure to ensure sustainability in construction by increasing environmental impacts and illegal dumping. Hence, with proper construction waste management techniques and processes, the notion of sustainable construction can easily be achieved. The aim of this study is to identify the initiatives for construction waste management toward sustainable construction. The study adopted a quantitative method of questionnaires survey distributed to 118 numbers of Grade 7 Contractors in Pahang. The professional teams in the company provide their responses in regard to waste management initiatives taken by them. The findings revealed several initiatives taken by contractors in helping to move towards sustainable construction in Pahang as such strengthening the policies in government agencies regarding waste management and compliance with the law to the general legislative structure. This study contributes to increasing the effectiveness of managing construction waste, particularly for contractor companies who are major involved during the construction process.

Prediction of waste diversion and identification of trends in construction and demolition waste data using data mining

An excessive amount of construction and demolition waste is generated in construction projects daily. To avoid negative environmental externalities and to promote sustainability, it is necessary for the construction industry to improve its waste management practices at a project level. Analyzing large volumes of waste generation data created in construction projects can provide a valuable opportunity to extract actionable insights. In this research, construction projects were selected, and three different data mining techniques were applied with the objectives of (1) predicting the future volume of diverted waste based on the amount of waste generation of major materials; and (2) identifying trends of waste generation in different construction stages of the projects. Specifically, to achieve these objectives, this study applies multiple regression, artificial neural network, and clustering algorithms. Notably, this study contributes to the existing construction waste management body of knowledge by demonstrating the application of different data mining techniques to predict future waste diversion and extract actionable insights at the project level that help promote sustainability and waste reduction. Furthermore, this study allows industry practitioners to better manage construction waste by understanding patterns of waste generation according to different phases of the project, and predicting amounts of waste for diversion.

Construction and Destruction Waste Management Practices to Reduce Environmental Impact in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a fast-growing developing country and Buildings of Mymensingh city areas are increasing rapidly in last five years. The management of construction and demolition trash is an issue given the dramatic increase in 20-building construction. Environmental contamination has risen recently due to a lot of development and demolition trash. Building materials, collection techniques, recycling and disposal should all be evaluated to assess this problem. This article demonstrates the Reuse, Recycling and Disposal of Construction and Demolition waste as a way for environmental protection, and Construction and Demolition waste management. The investigation was based on field visits, interviews, secondary data sources, and conceptual methods. We surveyed 300 construction sites (buildings) in Mymensingh city as a new city corporation of the country. We found 31% materials are reused, 26% are recycled and rest of the materials is nominated as construction waste. This paper also examines the management practices for evaluating the result. Different methods could be used to reduce waste and increase profits through recovery, reuse, and recycling of construction and demolition waste. For proper reuse and recycling of Construction and Demolition waste, waste management strategies, reliable and tested case studies are necessary.

Construction Waste Handling after Amendments in Waste Regulations

Amendments to regulations on waste management effective from 1 January 2022 and associated with the implementation of the idea of circular economy, respond to the requirement of transposing relevant EU regulations. The proposed amendments address, for example, construction waste. They define construction waste and introduce new provisions as well as modifying existing measures related to the management of this waste. They highlight the principles of circular economy. This article assesses the practical value and applicability of these regulations in construction waste management from several points of view. First, re-use of such waste is discussed. Second, end-of-waste regulations are analysed, and so is the possibility of their application in the management of construction waste, especially construction rubble. The study closes with conclusions suggesting specific addendums to existing waste regulations.

Developing an Optimal Ensemble Model to Estimate Building Demolition Waste Generation Rate

Smart management of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is imperative, and researchers have implemented machine learning for estimating waste generation. In Korea, the management of demolition waste (DW) is important due to old buildings, and it is necessary to predict the amount of DW to manage it. Thus, this study employed decision tree (DT)-based ensemble models (i.e., random forest—RF, extremely randomized trees—ET, gradient boosting machine—GBM), and extreme gradient boost—XGboost) based on data characteristics (i.e., small datasets with categorical inputs) to predict the demolition waste generation rate (DWGR) of buildings in urban redevelopment areas. As a result of the study, the RF and GBM algorithms showed better prediction performance than the ET and XGboost algorithms. Especially, RF (6 features, 450 estimators; mean, 1169.94 kg·m−2) and GBM (4 features, 300 estimators; mean, 1166.25 kg·m−2) yielded the top predictive performances. In addition, feature importance affecting DWGR was found to have a significant impact on the order of gross floor area (GFA) > location > roof material > wall material. The straightforward collection of features used here can facilitate benchmarking as a decision-making tool in demolition waste management plans for industry stakeholders and policy makers. Therefore, in the future, it is required to improve the predictive performance of the model by updating additional data and building a reliable dataset.

Construction and demolition waste disposal charging scheme design

AbstractConstruction and demolition waste disposal charging is a critical component in construction waste (CW) management. Over the past few decades of implementation around the world, the effectiveness of waste disposal charging in decreasing negative environmental impact is gradually being questioned. This paper identifies two intertwined issues that have not attracted sufficient attention in actual practice. One is the consideration of contractors’ behavior, which is economically driven. Another is the influence of waste transportation, which is also a major stream of environmental pollution. These two aspects significantly affect the effectiveness of the waste disposal charging scheme. Contractors may not transport their generated CW to appropriate disposal facilities. They make decisions based on the disposal and transportation cost. To address this problem, this paper proposes a general construction and demolition waste disposal charging design methodology in which contractors’ behavior and the influence of waste transportation are taken into account. A mixed‐integer programming model is developed for the optimal design of the charging fees, which analytically formulates both of the abovementioned aspects. Furthermore, we developed a model that partially modifies the current charging scheme to better fulfill the environmental protection objective. Extensive numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed methodology can effectively change contractors’ waste disposal decisions and significantly decrease the negative environmental impact of construction and demolition waste. This study contributes to a new perspective to better design the construction and demolition waste disposal charging scheme and has a wide range of applicability.

Utilization of Green Materials and Technology for Sustainable Construction in Malaysia

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the construction industry on the environment in Malaysia and propose strategies for mitigating its adverse effects through the adoption of sustainable building techniques. The study recognizes the importance of a healthy ecosystem in promoting health conditions, improving living standards, and ensuring a sustainable future for the nation. However, the recent population expansion has placed increased pressure on Malaysia's building industry and infrastructure, resulting in environmental degradation caused by the construction sector. To address this issue, the study examines the overall framework of ecological management implemented in Malaysia's construction industry. It evaluates key aspects of construction management, including the formulation and implementation of environmental policies, the involvement of stakeholders in decision-making processes, and the effective management of construction waste. Additionally, the study conducts a comprehensive assessment of specific regulations and guidelines pertaining to construction waste, water contamination, and air pollution, all of which are prevalent issues in Malaysia's construction activities. Furthermore, the study highlights the benefits of using green materials in construction to minimize environmental impact and enhance overall quality of life. It explores the implementation of green technologies in Malaysia, considering their advantages and disadvantages within the local context. By doing so, the study aims to provide insights into the challenges faced in the widespread adoption of green technologies, taking into account the perspectives of the government, economy, society, and available resources. Ultimately, the study emphasizes the need for collaboration among all stakeholders to address environmental damage effectively. It stresses the importance of an inclusive approach, ensuring that no one is left behind in the efforts to rectify the situation and prevent further deterioration of the environment. By taking proactive measures and implementing sustainable building techniques, it is hoped that the construction industry in Malaysia can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future for the nation.

A comprehensive model for quantifying construction waste in high-rise buildings in India.

The construction industry plays a vital role in the economic development of any country. Concurrently, the sector also generates enormous quantities of construction and demolition waste (CDW) that damages the ecology causing environmental pollution and deteriorating human health. Recently, various governments and other organizations realized the importance of implementing construction waste management (CWM) practices to attain sustainability in construction. The current decade can be called a pathway for achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development goals in which CWM plays an inevitable role. However, accurately quantifying construction waste is necessary to successfully implement any CDW management plan. A detailed literature review for the current research revealed that limited information on the magnitude of construction waste is available in India. Therefore, the current paper proposes a practically viable model to estimate the waste generation index (construction waste generated per total floor area) of high-rise residential buildings in India. The waste quantification is being done based on the project documents and expert interviews. The methodology is later validated through a high-rise building with G + 18 stories located in Kerala, India. The study indicated that a high-rise concrete framed structure generates 122.3 kg m-2 of waste during construction. It was also noted that, concrete, aggregates and blocks constitute 92% of the total waste generated in the project. The developed model can also be used as a cornerstone for establishing a construction waste database at the regional level.

Recycling of grounds for the construction of the railway subgrade

The relevance of the issue of construction waste management is considered on the example of soil during the construction of the railway track. The main requirements for the soils of the subgrade, as one of the components of the railway track, ensuring the safety of rolling stock movement, are listed. Definitions of construction waste and recycling are given; classification of waste generated during the dismantling and repair of railway track facilities in accordance with regulatory documents. The advantages, the main task of recycling, as well as the main reasons that exclude this method in solving the problem of getting rid of construction waste are indicated. The main pollutants of the soil, which is removed during the repair of the railway track, have been identified. The methods of utilization of soils for the construction of the railway subgrade containing petroleum and organic inclusions are considered. The main methods of extracting petroleum products, depending on the degree of contamination and terrain conditions, taking into account efficiency and environmental safety: physico-chemical method, cutting out the top layer of soil, washing with high-pressure water jets and pumping out pulp, microbiological cleaning, washing using drainage systems, capillary absorption of porous materials and others. Peat processing methods: production of pellets, pyrolysis, hydrolysis.

Evaluating carbon emissions of construction and demolition waste in building energy retrofit projects

Building energy retrofit (BER) is one of the priority tasks of China's ‘14th Five-Year Building Energy Efficiency and Green Building Development Plan’. The number of BER projects has dramatically increased in recent years in China, studies related to the management of construction and demolition waste (CDW) from BER projects have not kept pace. There is a need for more related studies, particularly for evaluating and mitigating the environmental impact of CDW from BER projects. This study aims to evaluate and mitigate carbon emissions from CDW of BER projects using a system dynamics (SD) approach through a case study BER project in the urban area of China. The SD model developed for this study includes sub-models for evaluating carbon emissions from the dismantlement of old components and the retrofit construction. Three scenarios were developed and the scenario analysis results reveal that the carbon emissions of CDW from the dismantlement of the old components account for higher carbon emissions than retrofit construction. Improving the inert waste recycling rate from 50% to 90% could save 2034.43 kg CO2 eq carbon emissions. Reducing 50% of CDW in BER construction could save 7673.06 kg CO2 eq carbon emissions. Improving WTE incineration rate from 50% to 100% could save another 50.53% of carbon emissions from the combustible waste. The SD simulation model provides a dynamic and non-linear scenario analysis platform for decision-makers to analyze the carbon emissions for managing CDW from BER projects.

Environmental sustainability assessment of excavation, construction, and demolition waste conditions and practices across Greece and Cyprus

The construction industry led by the real estate sector plays a significant role in the environmental performance. Excavation, construction, and demolition waste are important waste generators in Europe. Many of the materials are recyclable or reusable, however rates of reuse and recycling vary greatly across Europe. The objective of this preliminary research is to analyse the excavation, construction, and demolition waste conditions that have prevailed in recent years throughout Europe, with a focus on Greece and Cyprus, considering the scarce coverage of this specific subject matter. The study outlines the excavation, construction, and demolition waste management principles and trends, as well as the methods for prevention, reduction, reuse, and recycling. Findings suggest a) an increase of the excavation, construction, and demolition waste, in connection with the construction industry growth, b) uncontrolled disposal is a common practice, which, however, severely pollutes the environment, and c) policymakers advocate for circular economy integration strategies. The current analysis argues that the answer to the efficient management of excavation, construction, and demolition waste involves prevention policies development, long-term strategic planning across all levels, as well as treatment, reuse, and recycling in waste management establishments using vertically integrated operations.

Towards the digitalization and automation of circular and sustainable construction and demolition waste management – project RECONMATIC

The construction sector is responsible for a large part of CO2 emissions, consumption of resources and generation of waste globally. Although the importance of construction and demolition waste management in a circular and sustainable way has been acknowledged on an academic and policy level, there are still steps needed to be taken both in terms of expanding the use of such principles in waste management frameworks but also in terms of increasing their efficiency through the digitalization and automation of their processes. This article provides a presentation of the RECONMATIC project, a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action project, that aims to develop novel tools, technologies and methodologies that can contribute in such a manner in multiple construction phases and project types or material and product life cycle stages.

A multi-stakeholder digital platform for regional construction and demolition waste management.

Little attention has been paid to the interaction or synergy among construction and demolition (C&D) waste management stakeholders. A framework allowing for interaction among the various C&D waste players is especially important in regions with mature C&D waste infrastructure, where various recycling, reuse and disposal facilities are present. In such an expanded infrastructure, these facilities differ in terms of the C&D waste materials they accept, the nature of the waste accepted (sorted/unsorted), as well as the services they provide. This makes developing the optimal C&D waste management plan (WMP) more cumbersome for contractors. To address the challenges arising from the poor dynamics associated with the overarching waste management infrastructure, this paper proposes a novel digital platform, namely the 'Construction and Demolition Waste Management Kernel' (C&D WMK). The C&D WMK has three main objectives: it allows for data exchange between the different stakeholders, provides guidance to contractors when developing C&D WMPs and allows for governmental supervision and regulation. This paper introduces the concept behind the C&D WMK, presents the optimization model embedded in the system, and demonstrates its application in a case study leveraging real-world data. Finally, a scenario analysis is conducted to show how the C&D WMK can be used by governments to identify pitfalls in the state of practice at the regional scale, and to determine effective solutions to enhance the C&D waste management performance.

A Framework to Develop and Improve Construction and Demolition Waste Management Through the Collaborative Action of Organizations, Governments, and Academia

It is estimated that by 2050, global construction and demolition waste will almost double by 2025, and its total amount will grow to 3.4 billion tons. Effective construction and demolition waste management can bring environmental benefits and socio-economic advantages to relevant stakeholders and construction projects. This study proposes a framework for developing and improving CDWM in the Triple Helix sectors: governments, organizations, and academia. The framework is based on the published research methods-Triple Helix core framework research technique for promoting WM. The perspectives and challenges of CDWM, the technical-scientific scenario, the framework, and the writers' thoughts were all taken into account. 22 action plans to triple Helix sectors are proposed in this study, which uses the approach of literature review and content analysis to examine articles in the Scopus database and patents in the Orbit database. China, the US, and Australia are the nations under study. The main objective of this project is to add experience elements from both public and private organizations to the CDWM literature in order to develop a new knowledge block with realistic qualities. This study's main practical contribution is a set of principles for Triple Helix departments to follow as they develop and improve CDWM products and technologies for both private and public usage.

Exploring Perceptions of the Adoption of Prefabricated Construction Technology in Pakistan Using the Technology Acceptance Model

Prefabricated construction is being pursued globally as a critically important sustainable construction technology. Prefabricated construction technology (PCT) provides opportunities to effectively manage construction waste and offers venues to address the poor productivity and lackluster performance of construction projects, which are often expected to miss their budget and schedule constraints. Despite the significant benefits inherent in the adoption of PCT, research has shown an unimpressive exploitation of this technology in the building sector. A modified version of the popular technology acceptance model (TAM) was used to understand Pakistan’s building construction industry stakeholder’s acceptance of PCT and the factors that influence its usage. Data were collected from 250 building construction experts in the industry to test the hypotheses derived from the proposed model. Data analysis using covariance-based structural equation modeling revealed that construction industry stakeholders’ perceptions of perceived ease-of-use, perceived usefulness, trust, and satisfaction all strongly influenced PCT acceptance behavior. Moreover, results also confirmed the total direct and indirect effects of the perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use of behavioral intention toward using PCT, with trust and user satisfaction as mediators. The results of this research are expected to serve as a guide for the construction industry stakeholders to effectively plan, strategize, encourage, and increase the adoption of PCT to achieve sustainable construction outcomes in the building construction sector.