An Analysis on the Benefits and Difficulties of the Circular Economy of Building and Demolition Waste for Sustainable Environmental Development

Abstract

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste was traditionally viewed as zero value material in a linear economy, leading to the majority of C&D waste materials ending up in landfills. Many nations have begun investigating new models to reduce the use of finite resources that are currently being misused, overused, or rapidly depleting in recent years due to a rise in awareness of sustainability and resource management. In this sense, implementing the ‘circular economy' (CE) has become a viable model to reduce the damaging effects of C&D waste on the environment. A complete transition to CE in the building and demolition industries is, however, hampered by certain issues. As a result, the purpose of this review paper is to examine various facets of C&D waste and the ways in which CE can be included in building projects. A review of the literature indicated that there are five primary domains in which barriers to the adoption of CE in C&D waste sectors exist: legal, technical, social, behavioural, and economic aspects.