Improvement of Environmental Sustainability and Circular Economy through Construction Waste Management for Material Reuse

Stefan Schützenhofer (), Iva Kovacic, Helmut Rechberger and Stephanie Mack
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Stefan Schützenhofer: Department of Integrated Planning and Industrial Building, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Iva Kovacic: Department of Integrated Planning and Industrial Building, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Helmut Rechberger: Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
Stephanie Mack: Department of Integrated Planning and Industrial Building, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 17, 1-19

Abstract: The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries are allocated 40–60% of the worldwide raw material extraction. Construction waste accounts for a significant share of the total waste volume. Therefore, careless handling reduces natural resources and waste deposits (landfills). Furthermore, material reuse and recycling can reduce resource and energy consumption and environmental emissions in some cases. Waste management concepts in the fields of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction are increasingly in the European Union and worldwide focus. A circular economy can be seen as a system in which resource input, waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimised due to closed material loops. Therefore, implementing a consistent Circular Economic requires a holistic approach in which material, emissions, and energy are put into context. This paper aims to analyse dismantling, recovery, and recycling processes and link relevant parameters to assess material sustainability. The technical effort must be made, and the associated costs are compared with the influence of eco-indicators. Furthermore, the data required can be used for the following three areas: Facilitating demolition planning and on-site waste management; resource management at the local/regional/state level; and governmental tax mechanisms.

Keywords: reuse; waste management; circular economy; recycling; CDW; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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