Construction waste management performance in green building: contextualising LEED in China

Abstract

Construction waste issues have raised considerable concern in recent decades. Green building (GB) has been adopted around the globe as a strategy to curtail building-related environmental issues, including construction waste. Particularly in China, with the soaring construction activities tied to urbanization and urban regeneration, massive construction waste has been generated, imposing tremendous pressure on the industry and beyond. China is also vigorously pursuing a national GB strategy, but its effects on construction waste management (CWM) are yet to be confirmed. This paper evaluates CWM performance in GB by putting the dyads into China's particular Political, Economic, Social, and Technical (PEST) context. By analysing a total of 310 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited GB projects in China, it is surprisingly discovered that GB does not prominently improve CWM. The paper goes further to understand the causes of the mediocre CWM performance, by conducting ten semi-structured interviews with GB and CWM practitioners in China. Finally, a comprehensive PEST analysis is conducted to discuss the situation in the context of China. Factors such as (a) incomplete CWM regulations in China, (b) lack of economic incentives, (c) lacklustre awareness about CWM, and (d) lack of advanced technologies, caused the CWM performance in GB. Based on the PEST analyses, some targeted strategies are also recommended. This study is of benefits to both researchers and practitioners in the GB industry.

Plan-Design, Construction, Performance, and Renovation Criteria for Sustainable Buildings: Data Review

“…[ 66,67] Recycled material use Recycled content has been made from pre-and post-consumer materials. The use of recyclable materials can contribute to minimizing waste generation and reducing environmental impacts.…”

Green Building Practices on Waste Minimization in China Construction Industry

“…Green building is also a holistic practice that strives for sustainability achievement through proper planning, design, construction, management, demolition, and waste remediation [8]. To define the GB standards, label certifications and facilitate the design of GB, several green building rating systems (GBRS) have been established by governments, professional associations as well as independent organizations [8,9]. GBRS like BREEAM, LEED, Green Mark, GBI, and Green Star are utilized as tools to judge buildings' performance by adhering to criteria such as energy efficiency, water efficiency, materials, and resources.…”

“…Apart from that, the classification of construction waste can also be controlled by the stable chemical properties, hence inert or non-inert waste are classified as shown in Figure 1 [8]. As illustrated in Figure 1, inert construction waste refers to materials that remain stable in chemical reactions and are appropriate for reuse and recycling purposes, in particular land reclamation, road construction, and recycled aggregate [9]. Non-inert waste that cannot be reused or recycled is commonly disposed of in landfills [7].…”

“…Non-inert waste that cannot be reused or recycled is commonly disposed of in landfills [7]. However, landfilling is not a good option when it comes to construction waste management as it consumes land capacity rapidly [9]. Not to mention that landfilling also leads to environmental deterioration with the generation of methane, carbon dioxide, and leachate during the anaerobic decay of waste [11].…”

Impact of the bonus approach on recertification strategies for LEED-EB v3 office projects in major US metropolitan areas: A case study

“…Sustainability is currently a mainstream movement due to the escalation of natural-resource depletion and global climate change. The construction sector plays a significant role in the attempt to move towards a more sustainable society, as construction activity consumes large amounts of natural resources, such as limestone, gravel, sand, wood, water and fossil-energy sources (coal, oil and natural gas), and produces huge amounts of emissions, such as the global-warming gases CO 2 , N 2 O and CH 4 , and construction waste ( Bao et al., 2020 ). According to Meyer (2009) , 10 billion tons of concrete are globally produced per year.…”