KB7039: Solutions for Construction and Demolition Waste Management

This report addresses the critical issue of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, a significant problem in the construction industry due to its environmental, social, and economic impacts. The report begins by defining the problem, highlighting the substantial volume of waste generated globally, and the adverse effects of landfill disposal, including air and water pollution, soil degradation, and depletion of natural resources. It then justifies the problem's significance, emphasizing inadequate waste management legislation and lack of awareness. The report identifies stakeholders affected by C&D waste, including construction companies, governments, environmentalists, and the public, detailing the environmental, safety, social, and economic impacts. The core of the report analyzes potential solutions, such as lean construction, prefabrication, the adoption of modern technologies (BIM, 3D printing), waste recovery, recycling, reuse systems, sustainable construction practices, and the implementation of robust regulatory frameworks. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive approach to minimizing C&D waste and promoting sustainable construction practices.

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SOLUTIONS TO C&D WASTE
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Solutions to C&D Waste
1. Description of the construction industry problem
Construction industry pays a very essential role in socio-economic development of the world. This industry is growing rapidly due to increase in population, infrastructure projects demand, changes in standards of
living and lifestyle or consumption habits. However, one of the major construction industry problems is construction and demolition (C&D) waste. For many years, construction industry has been regarded as one of the
top contributors of solid waste (Mah, et al., 2016); (Sapuay, 2016). For example, in the European Union (EU), C&D waste accounts for about 25-30% of the total waste generated (European Commission, 2018) and
75% of this waste is disposed by landfilling, while C&D waste accounts for 50% of the total waste generated in the UK (Mah, et al., 2016) and 50% of it is landfilled (Osmani, 2011). The C&D waste is generated from
different activities associated with construction including the actual construction process, renovation and demolition (Malia, et al., 2013). The increase in C&D waste over the years has made management of this waste
a big challenge in the construction industry.
C&D waste are usually inform of earth/soil, rock, rubble/debris, mixed site clearance materials, concrete, plastics, asphalt, wood/timber, metals, paper and solvents, among others, as shown in Figure 1 below. Some
of these wastes contain hazardous substances such as asbestos, lead and mercury, making them more dangerous to the environment and human life. In most countries, almost half of the C&D waste get disposed in
landfills. Some of the waste in the landfills get burned producing greenhouse gas emissions while others remain there for many years. This is an environmental problem because a large percentage of C&D waste is non-
biodegradable. This means that toxic substances in the waste can leach into soils, groundwater and water streams thus affecting their quality. The more worrying trend is that the volume of annual C&D waste generated
worldwide is projected to almost double and reach 2.2 billion tons by 2025 (Fabris, 2018).
Figure 1: Types of C&D waste (Akhtar & Sarmah, 2018); (Mitchell, 2017)
2. Justify why this is a problem, who it affects, and its impact
2.1. Problem justification
Construction waste is a major problem due to the steady growth of the construction industry. As different countries continue to develop, construction activities are also on the rise. This means an increase in
construction, renovation and maintenance projects of roads, buildings, dams, bridges, railways, ports and airports, among others, which result to an increase in C&D waste (Katz & Baum, 2011). As aforementioned, the

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volume of global C&D waste is estimated to almost double and reach 2.2 billion by 2025. This is justifies why C&D waste is a real global problem that should be solved as early as possible. Another reason why C&D
waste is a real problem is because of inadequate and/or improper legislation to regulate generation and management of waste in the construction industry. Most of C&D waste is regarded as inert and therefore it is
assumed that it does to pose great risks as municipal solid waste. This has caused laxity in formulating appropriate legal and regulatory framework for the generation and management of C&D waste. In other words,
less attention is paid to C&D waste in comparison with other types of waste such as municipal solid waste. As a result, most of the C&D waste end up being disposed in landfills without considering the environmental,
social and economic impacts of this waste disposal method. Therefore other factors contributing to the escalation of this problem are: lack of awareness and knowledge about C&D waste, high landfill fee, increase in
illegal dumping, shortage of land, increase in transportation charges, and weak enforcement of C&D waste management policies.
2.2. Affected parties
C&D waste affect all stakeholders involved in or affected by the construction industry directly or indirectly. This includes construction companies, government departments and regulatory agencies,
environmentalists, clients of construction projects, and the general public. To be fair enough, C&D waste affects everybody. All these groups are affected in different ways. For example, construction companies get
affected by losing the money spent on buying construction materials that end up being wasted or unused and in managing (collecting, storing, transporting and disposing) the waste. In general, C&D waste affects the
environment (including plants and animals)), society (the people) and economy (both private and public sectors).
2.3. Impacts
Construction waste has serious environmental, social and economic impacts (Marzouk & Azab, 2014); (Nagapan, et al., 2012). The general problems of C&D waste include: causes air and water pollution; reduces
soil quality; waste of natural resources; occupies a large space that could be put into meaningful use; increases construction cost. The main categories of impacts of C&D waste are as follows:
2.3.1. Environmental impacts
The environmental impacts of C&D waste cannot be overemphasized. On average, over 50% of total C&D waste generated gets deposited in landfills (Hwang & Yeo, 2011). Some of the environmental impacts of
C&D waste are; causes air pollution hence reducing air quality; decreases soil quality thus affecting plant growth and development; affects water quality through percolation of toxic substances; occupies large areas of
landfills sites end ends up degrading this land; and causes depletion of natural resources because large volumes of new materials are extracted yet a large percentage end up in waste (Mah, et al., 2018). These
environmental impacts affect the lives of humans and animals by posing health hazards, and also the growth and development of plants.
2.3.2. Safety impacts
C&D waste is a big safety threat especially to the local residents. Landfill sites where C&D waste are disposed are common hiding places for gang groups. Piles of C&D waste also increases the possibilities of
landslide occurrence. For example, a pile of C&D waste caused a landslide in Shenzhen, China, in December 2015 killing more than 70 individuals, displacing 900 people and destroying several buildings (Slowey,
2018). Very high piles of C&D waste can also be unstable and collapse easily resulting to injuries, deaths or property destruction. Additionally, continuous movement of trucks in and out of the area increases
possibilities of accidents.

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2.3.3. Social impacts
Landfills affect the lives of local residents in different ways. Very bad/foul smell emanate from these sites that make the lives of residents uncomfortable. The smell also attract vultures that become a danger to the
residents. The landfills are also an eyesore considering that the waste keep on piling to great heights and get mixed with water to form a blot on the landscape. The areas where C&D waste are disposed also do not
attract investors. These areas tend to remain undeveloped, which hinders economic development and creation of economic opportunities for the local residents. The landfills make the local residents to feel neglected by
the government.
2.3.4. Economic impacts
C&D waste have numerous economic impacts in many ways. First and foremost, this waste is an indication of unused resources. Second, a lot of resources (human and financial) are used in managing the waste –
this includes collecting, transporting and disposing the waste (Oyenuga & Bhamidimarri, 2015). Third, the government and individuals spend a lot of money in treating health problems caused by C&D waste. This
money could have been used in other economic activities and the productivity of the sick people also goes down. Fourth, the waste are disposed in large sites that could have been put into meaningful uses to promote
economic growth. Fifth, landfill sites keep away many investors and this cases nearby areas to remain underdeveloped. Last but not least, C&D waste causes huge losses to construction companies.
The impacts of C&D waste are summarized in Figure 2 below
Figure 2: Impacts of C&D waste
3. Critical analysis of possible solutions to the problem
The best way of solving C&D waste problem is preventing and/or minimizing the amount of waste generated and developing effective and efficient waste management systems. Some of the possible solutions to the
problem of C&D waste include the following:
C&D
WASTE
Environmental impacts
Causes air pollution; reduces soil quality; and affects water quality
Occupies large landfill sites; depletion of natural resources; and causes
health risks.
Social impacts
Bad/foul smell; eyesore landfill sites; and underdevelopment
because the sites do not attract investors to the area
Economic impacts
Unused resources; high waste management costs; high health costs; and
wastage of landfill sites
Landfills unattractive to investors; and losses to construction companies
Safety impacts
Gangs hiding in landfill sites; increases chances of landslides
High waste piles can collapse causing injuries and property
damage; landfills unattractive to investors; and accidents
caused by trucks.

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3.1. Lean construction
The fundamental principle of lean construction technique is to minimize waste throughout the lifecycle of a project (Nikakhtar, et al., 2015). The waste includes cost, time, materials, equipment and efforts used in
the project (Bajjou & Chafi, 2018). This is achieved through application of various lean principles. The technique will significantly minimize C&D waste. As a result, the impacts of these waste will also reduce.
3.2. Prefabrication
This is a technique where most components of a structure are fabricated offsite and transported to the site for assembling. It is also known as industrial building system (Mah, et al., 2018). Production of these
components is done in factories using computerized systems that generated very minimal waste. Therefore prefabrication will significantly reduce construction waste.
3.3. Adoption of modern technologies
Modern technologies have a huge potential of preventing and minimizing C&D waste. There are numerous technologies that can be used for this purpose, including: building information modelling (BIM) (Cheng,
et al., 2015), 3D printing, robots, drones, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), autonomous vehicles, software applications, telematics, wearables, and internet of things (IoT). These technologies can minimize
C&D waste through the following ways: improving communication, coordination and sharing of information; enhancing project planning and management; minimizing errors and delays; improving supervision of the
project; ensuring accurate estimation and scheduling; ensure proper allocation and utilization of resources; and using the shortest route to transport materials or personnel from one place to another.
3.4. Recovery, recycling and reuse
As stated before, a large percentage of waste are disposed in landfill sites when a structure is demolished. However, a significant percentage of this waste can be reused or recycled and put into other uses (Kumbhar,
et al., 2013). Developing and implementing an integrated waste recovery, recycling and reuse system can help reduce C&D waste (Gegan & Arora, 2015). The system should effectively and efficiently collect and sort
C&D waste so as to classify it into the following groups: reuse directly, recycle, compose, and dispose. This system will significantly reduce demolition waste as most of it will be recovered and reused directly, sent to
recycling plants or decomposed to form manure (Hiete, et al., 2011). Figure 3 below illustrates a recovery, recycling and reuse systems.
Figure 3: Recovery, recycling and reuse of C&D waste (Abdelhamid, 2014); (Couto & Couto, 2010)

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3.5. Sustainable or green construction
The main objective of sustainable or green construction is to increase efficiency of structures built at all stages of their lifecycle – planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance and demolition stages
(Ghafourian, et al., 2017). This means reducing the amount of resources used and waste generated throughout the lifecycle of a structure such as a building.
3.6. Regulatory framework
Reduction and proper management of C&D waste can only be successful if there is a proper legal and regulatory framework formulated by the government (Raju & Kameswari, 2015); (Rodriguez-Robles, et al.,
2014). Relevant government agencies and regulatory bodies should formulate policies to provide guidelines on how to minimize and manage C&D waste. The first focus of these policies should be to minimize the
amount of C&D waste generated. The second focus should be to reuse the C&D waste generated. The third focus should be to recycle the C&D waste so as to reuse them in the construction industry or put into new
uses in other sectors. The last focus should be to manage the C&D waste generated by disposing them properly or using other appropriate disposal methods. These policies should also aim at increasing knowledge,
awareness and training on C&D waste management, and promote use of recycled and recyclable construction materials.
4. Visual illustration linking the problem to the solutions
Figure 4 below shows a connection between C&D waste and possible solutions
Figure 4: Link between C&D waste and solutions
C&D WASTE
Lean construction
The basic principle of lean construction is to prevent and
minimize C&D waste throughout a project’s lifecycle.
Use of modern technologies
Technologies such as BIM, 3D printing, robots, drones, IoT, VR,
AR, autonomous vehicles, software aps, etc. can prevent and
reduce C&D waste.
Prefabrication
Offsite fabrication will reduce wastage of materials because it is done
using computerized systems and under controlled conditions
Regulatory framework
The government should formulate policies to provide guidelines on how
to prevent, minimize and manage C&D waste
There should also be increase training and awareness about prevention,
minimization and management of C&D waste.
Sustainable/green construction
Structures should be planned, designed constructed, operated, maintained and
demolished with an aim of increasing resource efficiency.
This will significantly reduce the amount of resources used and/or wasted
throughout structure’s lifecycles.
Recover, recycle and reuse
An integrated waste recovery, recycling and reuse system will
significantly reduce the volume of C&D waste disposed to landfills.
It will also reduce extraction of new natural resources.

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5. Improvement model based on all the above
The improvement model of C&D waste after inclusion of the above solutions is presented in Figure 5 below
Figure 5: Improvement model
The model in Figure 5 above basically means that if the proposed solutions are implemented, they will result to a significant reduction in C&D waste. This reduction signifies a decrease in the C&D waste
problem. As a result, most of the environmental, social, economic and safety impacts of C&D waste will either be prevented or minimized. The summary of impacts, solutions and benefits of improvement model are
presented in Figure 6 below.
Figure 6: Benefits of improvement model (Marzouk & Azab, 2014)
REDUCED
C&D WASTE
Environment
Reduced emissions, improved air, water and
soil quality; increased crop and livestock
production; improved human and animal
health; conservation of natural resources; and
more land available for meaningful use.
Society
A serene and attractive landscape both for
the eye and investors; former landfill sites
attract investors thus creating employment
and business opportunities for the locals.
Economy
More resources available for economic
development; new economic opportunities in
previous landfill sites; job creation in recycling
facilities; and increased profits for
construction companies.
Safety
Safe areas near former landfill
sites, with no safety and security
threats of gangs or landslides.

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References
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Akhtar, A. & Sarmah, A., 2018. Construction and demolition waste generation and properties of recycled aggregate concrete: A global perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 186(1), pp. 262-281.
Bajjou, M. & Chafi, A., 2018. The potential effectiveness of lean construction principles in reducing construction process waste: an input-output model. Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Sciences, 12(4), pp. 4141-4160.
Cheng, J., Won, J. & Das, M., 2015. Construction and demolition waste management using BIM technology. Perth, Australia, 23rd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction.
Couto, J. & Couto, A., 2010. Analysis of Barriers and the Potential for Exploration of Deconstruction Techniques in Portuguese Construction Sites. Sustainability, 2(2), pp. 428-442.
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[Accessed 25 April 2019].
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