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Using Circular Economy Principles to Manage Construction Waste

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A special issue of Recycling (ISSN 2313-4321).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 June 2022) | Viewed by 42757

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Abdol R. Chini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Rinker School of Construction Management, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Interests: deconstruction; reuse and recycling of construction materials; decommissioning energy of buildings; construction waste management

Dr. Tayyab Maqsood

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
Interests: construction and demolition waste management; knowledge management; circular economy in the built environment; organisational learning and innovation

Dr. Salman Shooshtarian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
Interests: sustainability; construction and demolition waste management; urban landscape management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the opening of a new Special Issue focusing on the reuse and recycling of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste stream. The construction industry around the world has grown significantly in the past two decades. Population growth has led to the need for extensive property development, better public transport and improved infrastructure. This means there has been a substantial increase in waste produced by construction and demolition activities. A sustainable solution to overcome issues related to the growing C&D waste stream is to create and stimulate end markets. However, this seems to be a challenging task, as multiple factors are involved in the process. This Special Issue aims to exhibit the latest research findings in the field of C&D waste management, with a particular focus on the use of the circular economy.

This Special Issue is inviting outstanding research outputs, including case studies, original articles and review papers, on the following topics:

The construction and demolition waste stream;
End markets for recycled waste materials;
The circular economy in the built environment;
Industrial symbiosis;
A cradle-to-cradle approach;
Extended producer responsibility;
Stakeholders’ perceptions;
C&D waste management technologies;
Supply chain analysis;
C&D waste management strategies;
Supportive regulatory frameworks;
Deconstruction and material reuse;
Barriers to implementation.

Prof. Dr. Abdol R. Chini
Dr. Tayyab Maqsood
Dr. Salman Shooshtarian
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Recycling is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

construction and demolition waste stream
end markets for recycled waste materials
circular economy in the built environment
industrial symbiosis
cradle to cradle approach
extended producer responsibility
stakeholders’ perceptions
C&D waste management technologies
supply chain analysis
C&D waste management strategies
supportive regulatory framework
deconstruction and material reuse
barriers for implementation

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 2946 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Impact Assessment of Construction Waste Recycling versus Disposal Scenarios Using an LCA-BIM Tool during the Design Stage

by Carmen Llatas, Rocío Quiñones and Nuria Bizcocho

Recycling 2022, 7(6), 82; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/recycling7060082 - 07 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3661

Abstract

The scientific community has revealed the environmental benefits of recycling construction waste (CW) versus its disposal, and its contribution to circularity. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method enables the environmental impact of CW management to be quantified and facilitates the comparison of recycling versus alternative disposal scenarios. However, due to its complexity, LCA is seldom used by technicians during the design phase, which constitutes a crucial stage in the prevention of environmental impacts. This paper therefore proposes an LCA-based tool, integrated into the Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology, that helps designers to automate the environmental assessment of recycling versus disposal. The CW-LCA-BIM tool uses impact factors obtained from an LCA model applied to CW and was applied to the structural system of a building in Spain. Up to 99% of the non-hazardous waste was recyclable or reusable. The management of three types of recyclable waste was assessed: concrete (27.2 t), plastics (4.2 t), and steel (1.5 t). Recycling is shown to be the best option since it prevents 1.4 times (14.6 t) the emissions of the disposal scenario and saves 85 times (148.5 GJ) its energy consumption. This tool can be developed in other waste management systems and infrastructures. It can be useful both for designers for the reduction of the environmental impact of their buildings, and for policy managers for waste-prevention policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Circular Economy Principles to Manage Construction Waste)

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17 pages, 3653 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Quantification of Construction Waste in Early Design Stages Using Bim-Based Tool

by Rocío Quiñones, Carmen Llatas, Maria Victoria Montes and Isidro Cortés

Recycling 2022, 7(5), 63; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/recycling7050063 - 31 Aug 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3632

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste represents a growing environmental, social, and economic problem, and has become a priority for European and worldwide policies. The early quantification of construction waste is essential for the minimisation of its production and the improvement of waste management. This requires the development of design-based tools that enable a better understanding of the expected waste produced during the construction phase. Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodologies have gained recognition in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) sector, largely due to their capacity for data simulation, storage, and management during the building design phase. This study presents a software application, called WE-BIM Add-in, to quantify construction waste (CW) while designing the BIM model in Revit. A validated CW quantification model which enables waste types and quantities per building element to be predicted in detail according to the European List of Waste (LoW) is integrated into the Revit workflow. Design alternatives could be effortlessly simulated in real time to assist practitioners in decision-making during the early design stages. Two alternative structural systems of a Spanish residential building were compared: a reinforced concrete structure, Option 1 (O1), and a steel structure, Option 2 (O2). The results were obtained automatically: O2, in addition to reducing 56% of O1′s waste, would have increased the waste recycling rate by 49%; and displayed in Revit, thereby remaining consistent with those of other studies that compare prefabricated systems with in situ systems. This work provides a basis for future research into the automated estimation of construction waste in BIM which could become a useful tool in waste-prevention policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Circular Economy Principles to Manage Construction Waste)

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Graphical abstract

15 pages, 1390 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modelling and Simulation of Building Material Flows: Assessing the Potential for Concrete Recycling in the German Construction Sector

by Clemens Mostert, Christian Weber and Stefan Bringezu

Recycling 2022, 7(2), 13; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/recycling7020013 - 01 Mar 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3866

Abstract

The reuse and recycling of materials can make an important contribution to the conservation of natural resources in the sense of a circular economy. This applies in particular to high quality recycling, supporting the material use of waste and closing product cycles. The construction sector is the most important sector in terms of available volume of materials for recycling. However, the largest share of recycling (RC) materials goes predominantly into road construction and underground engineering. This research developed a dynamic model and used a simulation tool to calculate future building material flows in the German construction sector of residential buildings to explore the medium- and long-term potential for RC concrete. The results show that, by increasing the RC rate of concrete to produce recycled aggregates for concrete (RAC) from currently 1.5% to 48%, up to 179 million tons of sand and gravel could be saved until 2060. If the current maximum secondary input rate of RAC of 45% is increased to 70%, the savings could rise over another 66 million tons. If a secondary input rate of 100% is applied, RAC could completely fulfill the demand for sand and gravel for new residential building in Germany from 2045 onwards. The approval of RC concrete for more concrete strength and exposure classes is required to avoid a surplus of RAC and a rapid exhaustion of landfill capacities in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Circular Economy Principles to Manage Construction Waste)

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24 pages, 1983 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

A Synthesis of Express Analytic Hierarchy Process (EAHP) and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equations Modeling (PLS-SEM) for Sustainable Construction and Demolition Waste Management Assessment: The Case of Malaysia

by Kambiz Ghafourian, Kamyar Kabirifar, Amir Mahdiyar, Maziar Yazdani, Syuhaida Ismail and Vivian W. Y. Tam

Recycling 2021, 6(4), 73; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/recycling6040073 - 06 Nov 2021

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 5489

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste (CDW), as the main consequence of construction and demolition (C&D) activities, has severely affected our sustainability needs. However, construction and demolition waste management (CDWM) lacks the integration of sustainability concepts. Thus, there is a great need to include sustainability dimensions in CDWM to reach sustainable construction and demolition waste management (SCDWM). This study aims at empirically investigating SCDWM by analyzing the impacts of factors that contribute to sustainability aspects of CDWM on waste management hierarchy (WMH), including reduce, reuse, recycle, and disposal strategies. According to the literature, 26 factors were initially identified and grouped under four categories, namely environmental, economic, social, and administrative, that contribute to sustainability aspects of CDWM. Subsequently, a pilot test was performed to assess the significance and applicability of these factors in the Malaysian construction industry by implementing the express analytic hierarchy process (EAHP). Then, a questionnaire survey was performed to collect data from 132 construction companies involved in CDWM. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypothetical relationships by applying SmartPLS software. Results demonstrated that the economic aspect of CDWM (main category) and “public environment contamination due to illegal waste dumping” (sub-category) were the most influential factor in SCDWM in Malaysia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Circular Economy Principles to Manage Construction Waste)

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Review

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21 pages, 2171 KiB

Open AccessReview

Conceptualising the Circular Economy Potential of Construction and Demolition Waste: An Integrative Literature Review

by Vasilios Papastamoulis, Kerry London, Yingbin Feng, Peng Zhang, Robert Crocker and Petros Patias

Recycling 2021, 6(3), 61; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/recycling6030061 - 15 Sep 2021

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 5118

Abstract

Traditionally, construction and demolition waste (CDW) materials have been considered to be unwanted, surplus, or wastage materials or materials with zero value. Such a conceptualisation only embraces a negative aspect, which underpins the disposal of reusable and recyclable CDW materials in landfills, thus damaging the circular economy and the environment. The scope of this research was to conceptualise the circular economy potential of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste, which can be used as a resource for advancing the circular economy and sustainability in the built environment. Thus, the abbreviation ‘CEPCDR’ is used for this purpose. The study employs an integrative literature review to understand in depth whether the rationale in the existing CDW definitions advocates for the circular economy. Instead, the literature showed that the current definitions mainly support quantitative, economic, or classification needs, respectively. That is because they lack consideration of the dynamic nature of CDW materials, which embraces the spatial and temporal dimensions. The former involves the geographic context in which the CDW phenomenon eventuates, while the latter concerns the lifecycle of materials. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by conceptualising the CEPCDR using a holistic approach that includes five dimensions: the social, economic, environmental, spatial, and temporal perspectives. Furthermore, the study seeks to drive future research in measuring the CEPCDR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Circular Economy Principles to Manage Construction Waste)

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16 pages, 1528 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

A Systematic Review of Construction and Demolition Waste Management in Australia: Current Practices and Challenges

by Kamyar Kabirifar, Mohammad Mojtahedi and Cynthia Changxin Wang

Recycling 2021, 6(2), 34; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/recycling6020034 - 21 May 2021

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 9347

Abstract

Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) has a deleterious impacts on sustainability not only in developing countries but also in developed nations. For example, Australia generated more than 27 million tonnes of C&DW in 2018–2019; however, only 60% of this waste stream was recovered. Considering this low recovery rate, lower than many developed nations, and with regards to the increasing rate of C&DW generation, extra attention should be given to the construction and demolition waste management (C&DWM) in Australia. Therefore, this research attempts to accurately understand the current practices and challenges of C&DWM in Australia. To do so, primarily, a systematic review of studies relevant to C&DWM from 2010 to 2021 was performed. In this step, 26 research documents were meticulously analysed to identify the current practices of C&DWM in Australia. Then, an in-depth interview with three experts were undertaken to verify the major results and to investigate the challenges of C&DWM in Australia. The results indicated that three factors significantly affect C&DWM in Australia, namely attitudes and behaviour of C&DWM stakeholders, C&DWM in project life cycles, and C&DWM regulations with regards to sustainability, adding that the latter was revealed as the most effective in C&DWM in Australia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Circular Economy Principles to Manage Construction Waste)

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16 pages, 1728 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Using Recycled Construction and Demolition Waste Products: A Review of Stakeholders’ Perceptions, Decisions, and Motivations

by Salman Shooshtarian, Savindi Caldera, Tayyab Maqsood and Tim Ryley

Recycling 2020, 5(4), 31; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/recycling5040031 - 24 Nov 2020

Cited by 55 | Viewed by 10030

Abstract

While the increasing rate of urbanisation is a critical concern for socio-environmental reasons, this also leads to more extraction of natural raw materials and the generation of significant quantities of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Although the use of recycled C&D waste products is technically feasible and regulated, and positive application examples are evident, it is still unclear how to engage key stakeholders to leverage this opportunity in construction projects. Previous research has shown that there is some level of resistance to the reuse of recycled C&D waste products in construction projects. This highlights a critical need to identify the roles of key stakeholders and the barriers they face when using recycled C&D materials. This paper therefore investigates the type of stakeholders influencing the use of recycled C&D waste products and the main factors affecting stakeholders’ decisions to use recycled C&D waste products through a systematic literature review. The authors present an emergent enablers and barriers for recycled C&D waste products model and provide commentary on how stakeholders’ perceptions, decision and behaviour influence the use of recycled C&D waste products. The authors also contribute to the body of knowledge with insights into the factors that various stakeholders believe influence the market for recycled C&D waste products and provides a reference point for authorities to consider these behavioural insights for policy reform. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Using Circular Economy Principles to Manage Construction Waste)

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