Best practice measures assessment for construction and demolition waste management in building constructions

• Published in: Resources, conservation and recycling conservation and recycling, 2013-06, Vol.75, p.52-62
• Main Authors: Villoria Saez, Paola, del Río Merino, Mercedes, San-Antonio González, Alicia, Porras-Amores, César
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Assessment; Best practice measures; building construction; Construction and demolition waste; containers; decision making; Exact sciences and technology; General treatment and storage processes; industrialization; Pollution; recycling; stakeholders; Stakeholders’ behaviour; surveys; Waste management; Wastes
• ISSN: 0921-3449; 1879-0658
• DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.03.009

•Detailed method to obtain the efficiency of best practices for waste management.•Only 8% of the agents use recycled materials despite being a well valued measure.•It is easier implementing best measures in collective housing with more than 120 homes.•The company's image is one of the main advantages of implementing best practices. Currently the construction and demolition (C&D) waste collection system in Spain is managed in a decentralized manner by each sub-contracted company. This lack of comprehensive strategy for C&D waste management causes a confusing and sometimes individual attitude regarding the different measures for C&D waste. Therefore effective waste management should be enforced. Construction stakeholders have wide range of best practices in C&D waste management that can be implemented, so they need to be assessed for their effectiveness. The aim of this research study is to assist construction stakeholders in making a decision on C&D waste management. This paper carries out a survey conducted among the construction agents in order to evaluate the effectiveness of 20 best practice measures regarding C&D waste management, identifying the most suitable types of building constructions to implement these practices and also the advantages and drawbacks of their performance in a building construction project. Results of this study show that among the highly effective best practices are: the use of industrialized systems and the contract of suppliers managing the waste. In addition, distributing small containers in the work areas is also another high valued practice, although only 36% of respondents usually implement this measure in their works.