Building demolition waste management practices – an Indian case study

Abstract

Sustainable development has become an increasing concern throughout the world in the last two decades. Construction industry generates a huge quantity of waste, which is termed as construction and demolition (C&D) waste. C&D waste constitutes a major portion of the total solid waste generated in a society. Therefore, adoption of sustainable practices in C&D activities is vital for a society to move towards sustainable development. Moreover, demolition is a phase of construction that produces a large quantity of waste and hence requires explicit attention. During the past few decades, considerable amount of C&D waste is recycled in the developed countries. However, there are very few actively functioning C&D waste recycling facilities available in India. This signals the magnitude of the problem that needs to be addressed with respect to C&D waste management in India. In this paper, a case study research methodology is adopted to study the demolition waste management practices being adopted in Chennai city and the barriers that prevent the recycling of C&D debris have been discussed. The practices were found to be driven purely by economic incentives and unauthorized disposal of C&D waste is prevalent. There is a lack of awareness regarding the recycling possibilities among the stakeholders. Moreover, there are no records containing details on the quantity of C&D waste getting generated. Lack of appropriate policies, rules and strategies to address the C&D waste management have also been found to be some of the major barriers for the lack of C&D waste recycling initiatives in India.