A model for estimating construction waste generation index for building project in China

Jingru Li, Zhikun Ding, Xuming Mi and Jiayuan Wang

Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2013, vol. 74, issue C, 20-26

Abstract: The increasing construction and demolition (C&D) waste causes both cost inefficiency and environmental pollution. Many countries have developed regulations to minimize C&D waste. Implementation of these regulations requires an understanding of the magnitude and material composition of waste stream. Construction waste generation index is a useful tool for estimating the amount of construction waste and can be used as a benchmark to enhance the sustainable performance of construction industry. This paper presents a model for quantifying waste generation per gross floor area (WGA) based on mass balance principle for building construction in China. WGAs for major types of material are estimated using purchased amount of major materials and their material waste rate (MWR). The WGA for minor quantities of materials is estimated together as a percentage of total construction waste. The model is applied to a newly constructed residential building in Shenzhen city of South China. The WGA of this project is 40.7kg/m2, and concrete waste is the largest contributor to the index. Comparisons with transportation records in site, empirical index in China and data in other economies reveal that the proposed model is valid and practical. The proposed model can be used to setup a benchmark WGA for Chinese construction industry by carrying out large-scale investigations in the future.

Keywords: Waste generation per gross floor area (WGA); The amount of construction waste; Material waste rate (MWR); Building; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:recore:v:74:y:2013:i:c:p:20-26

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.02.015

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