Construction and demolition waste management gaps in construction industry

Abstract

Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste is one of the fastest growing waste stream in Sri Lanka due to the construction boom after three decade of war. Thus, C&D waste management has become an environmental problem due to the lack of treatment and uncontrolled land filling. Thus, this study is focused on identifying the gaps which need to be addressed in C&D waste management. Survey approach and interviews were used to gather information. Consequently, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts involved in C&D waste management. The collected data was analysed using content analysis technique. The findings revealed that the major gaps exist in C&D waste management as lack of capacity to handle an enormous quantity of waste, difficulty in estimating the quantity and composition of waste, lack of dumping sites and coordination among different parties involved, financial incapability and lack of technical people. Therefore, the study proposed seven areas for improvements as institutional and legal framework, fund allocation, site waste management plan, waste management hierarchy, supportive environment and monitoring, evaluation and reporting.