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The evolution of construction waste sorting on-site

Author

Listed:
  • Yuan, Hongping
  • Lu, Weisheng
  • Jianli Hao, Jane

Abstract

Construction waste comprises inert (e.g., sand, bricks, and concrete) and non-inert materials (e.g., bamboo, plastics, glass, wood, and paper). In Hong Kong, the inert portion can be deposited at public filling areas for land reclamation while the non-inert portion is disposed of at landfills. However, construction waste is usually a mixture of both inert and non-inert materials and thus a segregation of the two portions is of paramount importance for effective waste minimization. Previous studies have revealed that construction contractors in Hong Kong were unwilling to carry out on-site construction waste sorting (CWS) even though it has numerous advantages. After a decade, the situation should have changed, particularly given the promulgation of a waste charging scheme in 2006 imposing levies on different methods of construction waste disposal. This study thus aims at ascertaining the state-of-the-art on-site CWS practices in Hong Kong, with a particular interest in its evolution over the past ten years. Data was collected through case studies of six construction sites where a hybrid research method included a literature review, non-participant observations, and interviews. It was found that construction waste management (CWM) regulations have significantly enhanced on-site CWS in Hong Kong. Site space and project stakeholders’ attitudes are still regarded as the most critical factors but labor and cost are no longer of major concerns in undertaking on-site CWS. Instead, a market for recyclables and an awareness of the profound environmental benefits are now perceived as being of major importance in these practices. Findings from the study can be used to review the effectiveness of current on-site CWS in Hong Kong, and through benchmarking they can also be used to develop good CWS practices in other economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuan, Hongping & Lu, Weisheng & Jianli Hao, Jane, 2013. "The evolution of construction waste sorting on-site," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 483-490.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:20:y:2013:i:c:p:483-490
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2012.12.012
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lu, Weisheng & Peng, Yi & Webster, Chris & Zuo, Jian, 2015. "Stakeholders’ willingness to pay for enhanced construction waste management: A Hong Kong study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 233-240.
    2. Duan, Huabo & Wang, Jiayuan & Huang, Qifei, 2015. "Encouraging the environmentally sound management of C&D waste in China: An integrative review and research agenda," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 611-620.
    3. Víctor Revilla-Cuesta & Marta Skaf & Ana B. Espinosa & Amaia Santamaría & Vanesa Ortega-López, 2020. "Statistical Approach for the Design of Structural Self-Compacting Concrete with Fine Recycled Concrete Aggregate," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-24, December.
    4. Wang, Yuan & Lai, Nan & Zuo, Jian & Chen, Guanyi & Du, Huibin, 2016. "Characteristics and trends of research on waste-to-energy incineration: A bibliometric analysis, 1999–2015," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 95-104.
    5. Lu, Weisheng & Webster, Chris & Chen, Ke & Zhang, Xiaoling & Chen, Xi, 2017. "Computational Building Information Modelling for construction waste management: Moving from rhetoric to reality," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 68(P1), pages 587-595.
    6. Li, Zhengdao & Shen, Geoffrey Qiping & Alshawi, Mustafa, 2014. "Measuring the impact of prefabrication on construction waste reduction: An empirical study in China," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 27-39.
    7. Lu, Weisheng & Chen, Xi & Peng, Yi & Shen, Liyin, 2015. "Benchmarking construction waste management performance using big data," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 105(PA), pages 49-58.
    8. Brown, Alistair, 2016. "The need for improved financial reporting of a developing country energy utility," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1448-1454.
    9. Lu, Weisheng & Yuan, Hongping, 2013. "Investigating waste reduction potential in the upstream processes of offshore prefabrication construction," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 804-811.
    10. Zhikun Ding & Wenyan Gong & Shenghan Li & Zezhou Wu, 2018. "System Dynamics versus Agent-Based Modeling: A Review of Complexity Simulation in Construction Waste Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-13, July.

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