Assessment of Construction Waste Management Practice in Mekelle, northern Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities

The rapid economic growth and urbanization in Ethiopia have led to extensive construction activities in major cities. Construction activities have known to generate large quantities of wastes that pose serious environmental problems. This paper presents the challenges of construction waste management practices in Mekelle city and explores appropriate measures to address the issues in a more sustainable way. Field observation, questionnaire survey, interviewing of public sector officials at different levels was conducted to identify the source and management options of construction waste in the city. The findings showed that the majority of survey participants felt that their firms have taken various measures to manage construction waste. It was revealed that 40% of the respondents exercise illegal dumping as a common method of waste management, which is closely followed by reuse and recycling. It is evident that over 75% of the construction- generated has potential for recycling and reuse as backfilling and base for roads and buildings. The increase in the number of illegal dumping sites in the city represents the failure to properly control and implement effective construction waste management. It was suggested that sustainable solution for construction waste management at local level depends on increasing awareness and promoting reusing and recycling of construction waste.