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3 R's in Construction Waste Management can bring revolution towards Sustainable Future
3 R's in Construction Waste Management can bring revolution towards Sustainable Future

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Construction Waste or debris refers to any substance, or matter generated as a by-product of the construction. This waste could be in any form. The debris could be a result of processing, a mixture of surplus, or anything abandoned before the finishing of the construction. Near about 90% of the waste generated in the United States, the majority of it arises from demolition. This paper intends to draw a few reasons for the types of waste generated and what preventive measures could be taken to reduce it. {1}

The global construction & demolition waste market is estimated to be USD 34.4 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period. The global market is primarily driven by many ongoing and upcoming building & construction as well as demolition projects in developing countries. {2}

Waste generated in construction is mostly inert and devours land for public use to dump landfills. Reclamation of sites was a step taken by the encroaching landfills, however, the 2013 initiative alone needs to be revised due to the rapid increase of urbanization {1}. C&D waste resulting from the construction sector accounts for nearly 30% of total waste produced globally [3], with an estimated average of more than 35% of all C&D waste disposed in landfills annually [4]. {3}

2.01 billion metric tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) are generated worldwide every year, and it is expected to increase by roughly 70 percent by 2050 to 3.40 billion {4}. According to the World Bank, developed nations are predicted to show a 19% increase in per capita income, while the same figure for developing and underdeveloped nations is predicted to show 40% or more. 

Demolition of old buildings, renovation and repair of houses, roads, bridges, piers, and dams contain bulky and undecomposed products like:

  • Concrete

  • Wood (from buildings)

  • Asphalt (from roads and roofing shingles)

  • Gypsum (the main component of drywall)

  • Metals

  • Bricks

  • Glass

  • Plastics

  • Salvaged building components (doors, windows, and plumbing fixtures)

  • Trees, stumps, earth, and rock from clearing sites {5}. 

The amount of waste would increase herein, due to urbanization, industrialization, and the ever-changing trends of the consumers. The solution to this problem could be effective waste management. This practice is being looked at as a medium to responsibly collect, transport, treat, manage, and dispose of waste responsibly. This acts as a driver for the service, solutions, and product providers to be actively responsive and innovative in covering the potentially new and existing construction & demolition waste management market. 

Waste management can be done by:

· Reducing,

· Salvaging,

· Recycling and

· Reusing existing materials

Source reduction reduces life-cycle material use, energy use, and waste generation. Examples of C&D source reduction measures include preserving existing buildings rather than constructing new ones, optimizing the size of new buildings, designing new buildings for adaptability to prolong their useful lifetime using construction methods that allow reuse of materials, employing alternative framing techniques, and reducing interior finishes. {6}

Using Artificial Intelligence for waste management could be a comprehensive data model to reduce and recycle waste effectively. A study on a Malaysian construction site used Building Information Modelling (BIM) to plan, design, and coordinate the different phases of construction to reduce error and rework. The data model also corrects ineffective construction designs, using raw materials residue or sudden changes in the design process. {6}

Building Information Modeling
Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Asphalt and concrete can easily be converted into aggregate or new asphalt and concrete products. Wood can be recycled and reused as engineered wood products like furniture, as well as mulch, compost, and other products. Metals including steel, copper, and brass are also recyclable. 

UAE’s recent effort for a circular economy in the pre-demolition and demolition stages of construction reduces waste and reuses and redesigns materials to make products less resource-intensive and uses ‘waste’ to manufacture new products and materials. Circular Economy impacts lower resource interaction and also reduces climatic change. The United Nations’ International Resource Panel concluded that natural resource extraction and processing contribute to about half of all global greenhouse gas emissions. {7}

Sustainable development needs appropriate handling of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste since its environmental impact is profound and the world generates more of it every year. By adopting efficient waste management strategies, there is a need for us to reduce, salvage, recycle, or reuse materials to minimize generated waste considering that this market’s growth rates are estimated at high levels in the future. The use of technological advancements to reduce and recycle construction waste and reduce errors to improve the efficiency of material use. Implementing such advancements in the construction industry would reduce environmental impacts and also drive innovation and sustainability. To combat Urbanization and Industrialization challenges and ensure that the construction sector and other areas will have a sustainable future, efficient waste management practices will be vital.



Sources:

https://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/misc/cdm/introduction.htm

https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/report/construction-and-demolition-waste-market-12753

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8745857/

https://www.developmentaid.org/news-stream/post/158158/world-waste-statistics-by-country

https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainable-management-construction-and-demolition-materials

https://publisher.uthm.edu.my/periodicals/index.php/rmtb/article/view/16043

https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/SASBE-06-2022-0115/full/html

https://cfloworld.com/solutions/industries-we-serve/construction-demolition-waste-management/


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