Investigation of Construction and Demolition Waste Causes Toward Comprehensive Taxonomy

Abstract

Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW) is a worldwide concern considering its substantial impacts on environmental, economic and social sustainability. Yet, C&DW accounts for 40% of the globally generated waste and is expected to increase due to global urbanization and population growth and the upsurge of elderly buildings. This imposes a huge pressure on concerned bodies to eliminate or lessen the waste causative factors (WCFs). However, construction and demolition processes are recognized to be complex, multiparametric and dynamic making WCFs identification and management difficult in the absence of structured knowledge. This study aims to fill this gap using a systematic review to build a WCFs inclusive taxonomy. This study revealed that 93% of the existing knowledge is incomprehensive and aspect-oriented and disclosed 125 distinct WCFs that could be structured into 9 families: stakeholders attributes, legal and financial aspects, communication and coordination, design and pre- contract development, procurement and material supply chain, delivery and onsite logistics, onsite planning and management, waste-management-related measures and policies, and contingencies and external risks. This study would provide scholars, policymakers, and practitioners with the fundamental knowledge to develop effective solutions, strategies, and practices to lessen or eliminate C&DW generation and/or related impacts.