Review of Waste Reduction Strategies for Civil Construction Projects

Abstract

In construction and manufacturing industries, the direct waste is described as complete loss of raw materials that is they are irreparably damaged or simply lost. Here, the wastage usually needs to be removed from the site. In contrast, indirect waste has no physical loss of materials and cause only monetary loss. In this research we aim: 1) to analysis the status of Construction and Demolition (C&D) wastes 2) to study and anlyze the existing waste reduction methods 3) to estimate  the fore-seeable difficulties 4) to present more effective waste minimizion methods. For the thorough investigation of the efficacy of existing waste reduction techniques, the telephonic interviews with recyclers, site visits to C&D sites and the recycling plants are carried out. We have observed that the recyclable material quality was poor and investment costs were higher. Along with these, the more demolition periods and limited spaces are also main barriers. Hence, we have suggested the following recommendations:      1) proposal for higher landfill charging schemes 2) setup for a centralized plant to recycle the wastes                   3) collecting the support from government for the provision of land for these recycling plants 4) implementation of novel demolition techniques 5) allowing some locations for an easy access to drop-off recyclable materials 6) to allow some flexible demolition periods 7) setup for mobile recycling plants 8) reusing few material as donations to charitable organizations 9) providing higher flexibility in collecting concrete wastes 10) balancing the supply and demand of recycled materials.