Generation characteristics and disposal paths of construction waste in public building project: A case study

Abstract

In recent years, the substantial increase in construction waste (CW) has prompted academia to conduct in-depth research on CW management. Understanding generation characteristics, disposal paths, and corresponding economic benefits of CW is a prerequisite for effectively managing CW. Therefore, this study develops a method that includes a Construction Waste (CW) classification system and an economic benefits analysis model to investigate the characteristics of CW generation and analyze the economic benefits of disposal paths, respectively. Based on a case study of a public building construction project in Shenzhen, China, the results reveal that soil dregs (290.75 kg/m²), slurry (59.93 kg/m²), and concrete (15.53 kg/m²) are the major CW compositions generated. Various paths can be established regarding on-site and off-site comprehensive utilization and landfilling to dispose of CW, with on-site benefits about 9 times that of off-site comprehensive utilization. Therefore, on-site comprehensive utilization of CW is the most beneficial from the perspective of a ‘zero-waste construction site’. Based on the results, five CW reduction management strategies are developed: policy support, financial subsidies, modern construction methods, intelligent technology assistance, and on-site CW utilization. This study is not only valuable in obtaining nuanced quantitative CW data at the project level methodologically, but also in advancement of effectively managing CW from its generation to final disposal practically.