Estimating construction and demolition debris generation using a materials flow analysis approach

The magnitude and composition of a region’s construction and demolition (C&D) debris should be understood when developing rules, policies and strategies for managing this segment of the solid waste stream. In the US, several national estimates have been conducted using a weight-per-construction-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Waste management (Elmsford) 2010-11, Vol.30 (11), p.2247-2254
Main Authors: Cochran, K.M., Townsend, T.G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Concretes
Construction Materials
Debris
Demolition
Environment
Environmental Monitoring
Estimates
Estimating
Exact sciences and technology
Hydrocarbons - analysis
Industrial Waste - analysis
Models, Theoretical
Other wastes and particular components of wastes
Pollution
Refuse Disposal - methods
Segments
Solid wastes
Steel - analysis
Streams
Time Factors
United States
Waste Management - methods
Waste Products - analysis
Wastes
Wood - analysis
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Summary:The magnitude and composition of a region’s construction and demolition (C&D) debris should be understood when developing rules, policies and strategies for managing this segment of the solid waste stream. In the US, several national estimates have been conducted using a weight-per-construction-area approximation; national estimates using alternative procedures such as those used for other segments of the solid waste stream have not been reported for C&D debris. This paper presents an evaluation of a materials flow analysis (MFA) approach for estimating C&D debris generation and composition for a large region (the US). The consumption of construction materials in the US and typical waste factors used for construction materials purchasing were used to estimate the mass of solid waste generated as a result of construction activities. Debris from demolition activities was predicted from various historical construction materials consumption data and estimates of average service lives of the materials. The MFA approach estimated that approximately 610–780 × 10 6 Mg of C&D debris was generated in 2002. This predicted mass exceeds previous estimates using other C&D debris predictive methodologies and reflects the large waste stream that exists.
ISSN:0956-053X
1879-2456
DOI:10.1016/j.wasman.2010.04.008