Abstract:
Sustainable development has become an increasing concern throughout the world in the last two
decades. Construction industry generates a huge quantity of waste, which is termed as construction
and demolition (C&D) waste. C&D waste constitutes a major portion of the total solid waste
generated in a society. Therefore, adoption of sustainable practices in C&D activities is vital for a
society to move towards sustainable development. Moreover, demolition is a phase of construction that
produces a large quantity of waste and hence requires explicit attention. During the past few decades,
considerable amount of C&D waste is recycled in the developed countries. However, there are very
few actively functioning C&D waste recycling facilities available in India. This signals the magnitude
of the problem that needs to be addressed with respect to C&D waste management in India. In this
paper, a case study research methodology is adopted to study the demolition waste management
practices being adopted in Chennai city and the barriers that prevent the recycling of C&D debris
have been discussed. The practices were found to be driven purely by economic incentives and
unauthorized disposal of C&D waste is prevalent. There is a lack of awareness regarding the
recycling possibilities among the stakeholders. Moreover, there are no records containing details on
the quantity of C&D waste getting generated. Lack of appropriate policies, rules and strategies to
address the C&D waste management have also been found to be some of the major barriers for the
lack of C&D waste recycling initiatives in India.
