Construction waste and its management
On our planet, waste from various industries is one of the biggest existing problems; among them is solid waste discarded from the construction industry during construction, renovations, and demolition of buildings, roads, bridges, etc. The construction waste contributes half of all solid waste on earth.
How Construction waste is disposed of?
Most of the construction waste is dumped in landfills, and these landfills are rapidly reaching their capacity. Construction waste from industries dumped in landfills also poses a great threat to humans and the environment as a whole.
How sustainable development Goals can be achieved?
To achieve sustainable development goals, the construction industry has to step away from fully reliance on landfills for construction waste disposal. To make the environment clean and safe for future generations, construction industries need to find suitable and effective methods to demolish and dispose of construction waste produced from construction activities.
What is Construction waste?
Waste is a natural phenomenon produced from the consumption of materials and goods. Construction waste is produced during the construction of buildings, roads, bridges, and other infrastructures. The poor handling and inefficient construction cause more wastage to be produced. Change in building designs, inadequate protection and storage, ordering materials more than needed, lack of training, and damaged material are the main reasons leading to the excess generation of production waste. Lack of experience and mistakes in planning and design changes also lead to the waste generation on site.
Categories of Construction Waste:
There is no doubt that how well a construction project is planned, the construction material will produce waste during the development. The wastage produced from the construction can be categorized into three main categories;
Inert
These wastes are produced from the sand, rocks, soil, aggregates, concrete, bricks, cement, tiles, glass, and masonry blocks.
Non-inert
Non-inert wastes include paper, wood, gypsum, metal, plastics, cardboard, packaging, and drywall.
Hazardous
This category includes flammable items, including acids, paints, bases, explosives, and corrosive materials.
Wood and concrete are among the materials that caused most of the construction waste during the construction of infrastructure.
How much Global Nations produce Construction Waste?
The composition and quantity of construction waste vary from site to site, and it keeps changing with the dynamics of the construction process. Globally, construction waste generated from construction activities accounts for approximately 20-30% of the total solid waste produced. In China, the share of construction waste is about 40%, while countries like Australia, Germany, and Hong Kong have a share of construction waste of about 20-30%. In European Union countries, this share is about 30-33% of the total solid waste.
How much Pakistan produce Construction Waste?
Pakistan is a developing country facing many problems including increase in population, land scarcity, waste management, environment, public health, environment etc. The priority given to waste management can solve most of the mentioned problems in Pakistan. Most of the solid waste generated from the construction industry.
In Pakistan about 30% of the construction waste is produced, consisting of construction and demolition waste. In Pakistan, more than 40 million tonnes of solid waste are produced every year, from which about 10-15 million tonnes consist of construction waste. This waste production is also increasing at the rate of 2% per year.
What are the reason behind construction waste generation in Pakistan?
The reason behind more generation of construction waste in Pakistan is that most of the clients and contractors operating privately are not well trained or well educated. Additionally, they have less awareness and knowledge about waste management. The lack of government monitoring on domestic builders and contractors causing high amount of construction waste generation.
How Construction Waste effects environment?
Construction waste not only causes air pollution, but toxic chemicals dumped in landfills can affect water reserves and pollute clean water sources, leading to serious health and environmental concerns.
Construction Waste Management:
Solid waste is one of the biggest existing problems on earth; half of this solid waste consists of construction waste. It is very important to properly manage construction waste through eliminating, minimizing, and recycling waste production. To ensure the sustainable management of resources, waste management should have been followed by the three following methods:
Methods of Construction Waste management:
Reduction
The reduction of resources can help in the prevention of the generation of construction waste. The construction of buildings using such methods that allow disassembly and reuse of material can help in the reduction of generating construction waste. By reducing construction and demolition waste, we can also save landfill space, lessen the environmental effect of creating new materials, and lower the overall cost of a building project.
Reuse
The reuse of construction waste and debris can play a crucial role in minimizing the generation of construction waste. The debris from the construction waste can be used to fill landscapes and asphalt pavements in other construction projects, resulting in a reduction of cost and construction waste. Clean wood and plastic can be reused to produce valuable items and insulation material.
Recycle
The material, including metal, wood, and copper, can be recycled for making valuable products. Other building components of construction waste, like debris and concrete, can be recycled to produce aggregate and recycled concrete products.
On-site Construction Waste Management:
The construction waste should be separated in different boxes on the construction site to get half of the job done at the construction site. These construction wastes should then be recycled and reused for other construction projects.
How construction companies can effectively Manage Construction Waste?
Eco-friendly and sustainable building practices should be promoted by engineers and construction firms. To ensure that all construction waste management procedures are in place and operating effectively, they ought to conduct routine site inspections. Weekly checks should be made on the recycling and hauling of waste. Above all, the actual performance should regularly meet or surpass the project goals.
Construction companies can reduce construction waste generation and improve the efficiency of waste management by implementing the aforementioned techniques for sustainable future.
Construction management is a very important skill. As more than one construction activities happen at the same time and many subcontractors’ involve in this process. So, it is important for the construction manager to put strict checks on them against the time schedule and waste generation.
How Elaan is doing Construction Waste Management?
Elaan Marketing stands as premier real estate marketing firm with a diverse portfolio of ongoing projects spanning Islamabad and other key cities across Pakistan. Specializing in both residential and commercial properties, we offer a comprehensive suite of services aimed at connecting buyers with most promising real estate opportunities in the region.
Elaan Marketing has well-educated and experienced engineers working on construction sites. They opt for safety measures and follow all rules and regulations required for working staff. Elaan’s engineers are always trying to dispose of construction waste according to the required Performa. Elaan used resources according to the requirement to avoid over-ordering and waste of materials. Moreover, Elaan reuses the construction waste in the construction of its other projects to minimize the generation of construction waste and its hazardous effects on the environment. The utilization of the latest technologies in the Elaan construction project provides more accuracy and less waste of resources, resulting in proper utilization of resources according to needs.
To get information about our delivered and ongoing projects you can visit our website: Elaan Marketing
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