Module 4

Construction and Demolition Waste Management

CONSTRUCTION WASTE

Construction waste is anything generated as a result of construction and then abandoned,

regardless of whether it has been processed or stockpiled. It comprises surplus materials from site
clearance, excavation, construction, refurbishment, renovation, demolition and road works.

Construction waste is generated from construction building and demolition activities consisting of
concrete, tiles, bricks, drywall, asphalt, plastics, metals, wood, rocks and more. These construction
waste materials are often inert and non-biodegradable, heavy, bulky and overload landfills.

Construction waste recycling and management involves the process and separation of salvaging
the recoverable waste materials for recycling and reuse. Krause Manufacturing’s innovative
approach and advanced solutions to construction waste disposal and commercial waste
recycling will boost your productivity and bottom line profitability.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE

• BUILDINGMATERIALS

Construction, demolition, restoration, and remodeling projects all produce a lot of building
material waste. This waste may include insulation, nails, electrical wiring, rebar, wood,
plaster, scrap metal, cement, and bricks. These materials may be damaged or unused, but
can be recycled or reused in other forms. Waste wood can be recovered and recycled into
wood for new building projects. Cement, bricks, and plaster can be crushed and reused in
other construction or building projects. These materials can be collected in a roll of
dumpster that can then be picked up by your waste management or recycling company.

• DREDGING MATERIALS

Dredging materials are materials or objects that are displaced during the preparation of a
construction or demolition site. These materials may include trees, tree stumps, rubble, dirt,
and rocks. A waste management company can provide waste disposal and trash removal of
dredging materials. If any of these materials can be reused or recycled, they will be taken
to a recycling plant. A waste management company can also provide dumpster rentals in
which you can collect this waste.
 • HAZARDOUSWASTE

The sites of construction, demolition, restoration, and remodeling projects often produce
hazardous waste. Hazardous waste may include lead, asbestos, plasterboard, paint thinners,
strippers, and solvents, mercury, fluorescent bulbs, and aerosol cans. These materials need
to be disposed of according to strict state and federal laws, and there are harsh fines and
punishments for non-compliance. A waste management company in Atlanta can help you
comply with city, county, and state guidelines, as well as with your insurance requirements
for the safe disposal of hazardous waste.

SOURCES OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE

❑ Waste from different construction activities consists of: -
❖ Concrete
❖ Brick
❖ Timber
❖ Sanitary ware
❖ Glass
❖ Steel
❖ Plastics
CONCRETE
❖ Concrete is one of the most important construction material.
❖ Approximately one ton of concrete is used per capita per year through out the world
❖ Recycling of concrete reduces
❖ Cost of aggregate
❖ Disposal costs
❖ Environmental damage
❖ Consumption of natural resources &
❖ Valuable landfill space
❖ Recycled coarse aggregates may be more durable than virgin material.
❖ It can also be used in residential construction.
BRICK
 ❖ Broken & discarded brick can be used as construction infill or as aggregate for non –
structural concrete.
❖ Brick that are part of demolish rubble can be crushed and used in the same way.
❖ Brick masonry rubble contains mortar upto 20% by volume.
❖ Crushed brick & roofing tiles are the bulk of demolition waste which were earlier being
dumped in landfills, but now they can be recycled into mortar plaster & building blocks.

TIMBER
❖ It is mostly crushed into chip & used as fuel.
❖ It can also be utilized to manufacture wood –chip concrete by injecting cement grout into
voids of compacted wood chips in moulds.
❖ Wood-chip in concrete can be used as building material.
❖ This chip can be sawn & nailed as well.
❖ In Japan alone about 12 million cubic meters of used timber from demolished houses are
used.
SANITARY WARE
❖ Sanitary ware includes tiles also.
❖ There can be reused as it is, if they are not damaged.
❖ If sanitary where are chipped (or) cracked (or) otherwise damaged are advised to crush and
use them as construction infill (or) as filler in concrete.
❖ Pozzolanic value of such crushed & powdered sanitary ware is a desirable property in
concrete mixes.
GLASS
❖ One ton of recycled waste glass corresponds to savings in energy equivalent to 125lit of
fuel oil & 1.2 tonnes of raw materials
❖ Recycling of glass reduces non-biodegradable glass out of landfills.
❖ Glass can be used as substitute for Quarts & Feldspar in the manufacturing of high strength
porcelain sanitary ware.
❖ It can also be used to make mineral wool an insulation product & in granular form as part
of the aggregate in concrete mixes.
❖ In USA an experiment was conducted on metal free glass constituents separated from
municipal incinerator residue. This glass was used to produce brick, glass-wool thermal
insulation & as a major component of a light weight aggregate use in structural concrete.
STEEL
❖ Steel is most commonly used metal in the world.
❖ Steel reinforcement from demolished concrete is usually separated from the rubble on site
& sold scrap to recycling plants.
❖ The world produces over 783 million tons of raw steel. It currently recycles over 320
million tonnes of iron & steel every year.
❖ Scrap metal can yield energy savings of upto 76%.
❖ In Europe steel is most recycled.
PLASTIC
❖ There is an over abundance of waste plastic.
❖ It is very difficult to dispose plastics.
❖ Waste plastic can be shredded & used as filler in other materials such as concrete & also
in construction of roads.
❖ House hold plastic waste can be recycled to obtain artificial light weight aggregates for
mortar.
❖ Plastic reduces the possibilities of cracking.

REASONS FOR INCREASE OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE

❖ Many old buildings concrete pavements bridges and other structures have overcome their
age and limit of use due to structural deterioration beyond repairs and need to be
demolished.
❖ New construction for better economic growth.
❖ Structures are turned into debris resulting from natural disasters like earthquake, cyclone
and floods etc.

COLLECTION OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE

The construction and demolition waste include waste forming during construction, reconstruction,
repairs or demolition of buildings, also a construction product waster.
❑ Construction and big-sized waste forming during construction, repairs or demolition of
buildings may be collected in three ways: -
❖ On special routes: according to a schedule settled in advance waste is collected from yards
of apartment buildings and sites of domestic waste containers located near buildings;
 ❖ In construction waste containers: special metal containers are placed in residential or
commercial areas or building lots. Their capacity may amount to from 5 up to 20 cbm. Full
containers are replaced by empty ones;
❖ In big-bags: this pre-payable service is especially important to individuals or enterprises,
holding low amounts of construction or big-sized waste – those who are repairing their
homes or willing to get rid of unnecessary things. Also, to those who are not willing to hire
a construction container or have no place for it.

TREATMENT OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE

C&D Waste Processing – Flowchart Explanation
The diagram outlines a systematic 3-stage process for managing Construction and Demolition
(C&D) Waste to extract recoverable items and reduce landfill burden. Here's a breakdown:
1. Manual Separation
The initial stage involves the manual sorting of waste at the source or at the recycling facility to
separate large, obvious, and valuable components like metal, wood, bricks, etc and to remove
hazardous or non-recyclable materials early.

2. Screening + Conveyor Picking

Screening: After initial manual separation, waste is passed through a screening machine to
separate materials by size. It separates finer materials like sand, soil, and small aggregates.
Conveyor Picking: Conveyor belts allow further manual or mechanical picking of valuable
items. Workers or robotic systems pick out materials such as:
▪ Plastic
▪ Metal pieces
▪ Paper or cardboard
▪ Larger concrete chunks
▪
3. Size Reduction + Mechanical Separation
Remaining material is sent to mechanical processing units like:
▪ Crushers (for concrete, bricks)
▪ Shredders (for wood, plastic)
▪ Magnetic separators (for ferrous metals)
• Size Reduction:
o Crushes large chunks into smaller, manageable sizes
o Facilitates easier handling and recycling
• Mechanical Separation:
 o Uses machines to separate materials based on:
▪ Size (sieves, screens)
▪ Density (air classifiers)
▪ Magnetic properties (magnetic separators)

Recovered Items:
o Recovered materials are further recycled, reused, or sold
o Examples:
▪ Aggregates for road base
▪ Recycled metals for manufacturing
▪ Wood and plastics for fuel or paneling
• Landfill:
o Residual, non-recyclable waste are landfilled

DISPOSAL OF CONSTRUCTION WASTE

❖ Being predominantly inert in nature, construction and demolition waste does not create
chemical or biochemical pollution
❖ The material can be used for filling/levelling of low-lying areas.
❖ In the industrialised countries, special landfills are sometimes created for inert waste,
which are normally located in abandoned mines and quarries.
❖ The same can be attempted in our country also for cities, which are located near open
mining quarries or mines where normally sand is used as the filling material.

However, proper sampling of the material for its physical and chemical characteristics has to be
done

Environmental impact due to C&D waste

Improper management of C&D waste impacts both the urban and natural environment in the
following ways:
• C&D waste is routinely dumped in open drains and water channels, clogging them and leading
to urban flooding during rains.
• Dumping of C&D waste in wetlands, water channels and riverbeds disrupts the hydrology and
destroys the aquatic ecosystem.
• Leachate and fine chemical particles from C&D waste degrade the soil, leading to land and
groundwater pollution. Especially hazardous components include paints, oil and asbestos sheets.
• C&D waste is filling up existing landfills and dump-yards, resulting in the need for more landfills
or alternative dumpsites.
 • C&D waste usually gets mixed up with other municipal solid waste during the process of transfer
or at the collection site. Once mixed, it makes composting and/or recycling of MSW highly
difficult.
• C&D waste includes hazardous substances such as sharps, broken glass, boulders, broken
wooden logs, rusted metal, broken ceramics, etc., which create a hazardous environment when
dumped on unfenced open places.
• C&D waste dumped on streets and footpaths blocks traffic and pedestrians, frequently
contributing to traffic congestion and even accidents.
• C&D waste is one of the primary sources of fugitive dust pollution.

Importance of Reusing C&D Waste

Reusing C&D waste materials offers numerous benefits:

a. Environmental Benefits
• Reduces landfill usage and prevents environmental degradation.
• Minimizes the extraction of natural resources like sand, gravel, and limestone.
• Lowers greenhouse gas emissions due to reduced manufacturing and transportation.

b. Economic Benefits
• Decreases construction costs by using recycled materials.
• Reduces waste management and disposal expenses.
• Creates job opportunities in the recycling and reuse sector.

c. Sustainable Development
• Promotes green building practices.
• Contributes to achieving environmental certification (e.g., LEED).
• Encourages circular economy principles in the construction industry.

C&D Waste Management Rules, 2016

1. Introduction

• Notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC),

Government of India on March 29, 2016.
• First dedicated rules in India for Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste management.
• Aim: To ensure scientific processing, reuse, and disposal of C&D waste in an
environmentally sound manner.
2. Applicability

• Applicable to:
o Every waste generator (individuals, institutions, construction companies).
o Local authorities, contractors, developers, and waste processing facilities.
• Covers construction, renovation, repair, and demolition activities.

3. Responsibilities of Waste Generators

• Segregate C&D waste into concrete, soil, steel, wood, plastics, and bricks.
• Store the waste within the premises before disposal.
• Ensure waste is sent to authorized processing facilities or disposal sites.
• Large construction projects (>20,000 sq.m built-up area) must submit a C&D Waste
Management Plan to local authorities.
• Keep records of the quantity of waste generated, recycled, and disposed.

4. Responsibilities of Local Authorities

• Frame bye-laws and create a collection and transportation system for C&D waste.
• Ensure setting up of authorized processing facilities in cities (especially those with
population >1 million).
• Identify and allocate disposal sites for residual and non-recyclable waste.
• Monitor and ensure compliance by waste generators and contractors.

5. Processing and Disposal of C&D Waste

• Priority must be given to:

o Reuse and recycling of materials like concrete, bricks, wood, etc.
o Use of recycled materials in construction (e.g., roads, embankments).
• Only inert and non-recyclable waste should be sent to landfills.
• Processing facilities must be authorized by State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs).

6. Timelines for Implementation

• Within 1 year: Cities with population >1 million must set up processing facilities.
• Within 2 years: Cities with population between 0.5–1 million.
 • Within 3 years: Towns with population <0.5 million.

Case Studies / Practical Examples

a. Plastic Roads in India

• Plastic waste is shredded and mixed with hot bitumen.

• Increases road durability and water resistance.
• Used in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and other states.

b. Delhi Metro Project

• Used crushed concrete and recycled steel.

• Applied recycled materials for backfilling and road construction.

c. Green Buildings and LEED Certification

• Use of recycled C&D waste helps earn points for green certifications.
• Promotes resource-efficient design and construction.