Waste Management in a Sustainable Circular Economy as a Part of Design of Construction

Abstract

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries are the producers of the most significant waste stream in the European Union. Known EU initiatives propose to deal with the issue of construction and demolition waste (CDW) according to the principles of a circular economy: the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle). CDW is generated during the whole life cycle of construction. The lack of information about the quantity of CDW during the design phase of building needed for sustainable design of construction was identified as a research gap. The aim of our research is to quantify construction and demolition waste during the construction design phase in a circular economy. The proposed method is based on the generation rate calculation method. This paper describes the proposed methodology for quantifying selected types of construction waste: excavated soil, concrete, and masonry. This information is essential from the point of view of a sustainable circular economy. The main contributions of the paper were identified during the decision-making process of sustainable building design, during the audit of CDW management, and during building information modelling as a support tool for CDW management. As early as the construction design phase, there is the possibility of choosing technologies, construction processes, and materials that have a higher degree of circularity in the economy.

Waste metrics in the framework of circular economy

“…These constraints also inhibit progress against greater data collection, evaluation and interaction. Several researchers highlight that the existing lack of visibility of accurate data and measurement in circular processes related with waste generation and management cause a gap in knowledge concerning how the circular economy is progressing ( Oluleye et al, 2023 , 2022 ; Rincón-Moreno et al, 2021 ; Spišáková et al, 2022 ).…”

Sustainable Adaptive Cycle Pavements Using Composite Foam Concrete at High Altitudes in Central Europe

“…The current civil engineering industry is a dominant contributor to carbon dioxide emission [65] and therefore is necessary to reduce it through the circular economy pavement circular economy (PCE). Generally, CE is perceived as an industrial economy that is restorative or regenerative by intention and which aims to keep products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value, all the time [66][67][68]. It is necessary to try to choose more environmentally friendly variants of construction projects, and use a more environmentally friendly material, which has a higher degree of recyclability and reusability [69,70].…”

Metagenomic Analysis of Bacterial, Archaeal and Fungal Diversity in Two-Stage Anaerobic Biodegradation for Production of Hydrogen and Methane from Corn Steep Liquor

“…The limitation and depletion of fossil fuel resources make biohydrogen and biomethane worthy alternatives for the future. The recycling of various waste materials from industrial productions is essential in the circular economy, which is nowadays an integral part of sustainability [ 1 ]. Anaerobic digestion assists in utilizing wastes and coping with their accumulation while realizing the production of renewable energy carriers.…”