Construction Waste Management in Rural Areas of the Czestochowa District in the Aspect of Environmental Safety

Abstract

Abstract In the last few decades there have been significant changes in single-family housing in rural areas. More and more new buildings are being built, many are being renovated or thermomodernized. This activity generates a number of waste that, if not managed properly, can have a negative impact on the natural environment. This article analyses ways of waste management generated during the erection of new buildings, renovations and reconstruction. The aim of the research presented in the study was to identify trends in the manner of construction waste management in the last thirty years in rural areas of the Czestochowa district. The substantive basis for the research were CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) surveys carried out among investors and contractors of construction works in the analysed area. On their basis, indicators illustrating changes in the manner of management individual types of waste were estimated. It was found that positive changes occurred in this area during the analysed period. Primarily, the scale of activities having a clearly negative impact on the environment and the safety of life of residents decreased significantly. Processes such as uncontrolled burning or burying waste in the ground have been reduced from over 40% to around 13.5%. The reason for these positive trends is primarily the increasing ecological awareness of rural residents, high fines for the illegal removal of waste, as well as in the case of waste other than construction, the obligation to have waste containers. Currently, positive environmental activities such as selective waste collection and transfer to specialized companies increased from around 2.5% to over 50%.