Identifying the Barriers to Sustainable Management of Construction and Demolition Waste in Developed and Developing Countries

Abstract

The construction industry is a vital part of every nation’s economy. Construction activities influence the social, environmental, and economic aspects of sustainability. There are so many barriers to sustainable construction and demolition waste management (C&DWM). This study aims to identify barriers for effective sustainable C&DWM in developed and developing countries. To achieve the objective, 11 barriers have been selected and identified based on an excessive and comprehensive literature review, and then reviewed by experts. These reviewed barriers were further examined by various experts within different organizations using a questionnaire survey. Ranking of the barriers was carried out using the Relative Importance Index (RI), and the results were statistically analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Practical solutions were proposed to overcome the identified barriers. The overall ranking of barriers by RI indicates that insufficient attention paid to C&DWM, lack of law enforcement, lack of regulation, and financial constraints represent the four major barriers to sustainable C&DWM in these countries. The findings of this study and the proposed solutions are enablers for decision-makers to develop effective strategies to tackle construction and demolition wastes in sustainable manners.

Carbon Neutrality in the Building Sector of the Global South—A Review of Barriers and Transformations

“…Furthermore, green building practices in these countries often face financial constraints and a lack of incentives [26,27]. Additionally, the building codes and regulations in these countries may not be as stringent as those in developed countries [28]; therefore, creating regulatory constraints. Educational challenges also affect the availability of skilled professionals, and technical constraints limit equipment and material options.…”

“…Additionally, a lack of public participation in political processes or conflicting interests among political actors can also limit progress toward the development of effective regulation [14]. Even where effective regulations exist, there remain challenges to fully and effectively implementing and enforcing regulations [16,27,28] due to factors such as lack of knowledge and skills, limited training of professionals, and corruption.…”

Creating incentives for managing construction waste generated during the war

“…According to research [4,5], the effective and sustainable development of the field of construction waste management depends on legislative and informational support, financial support, clear rules for regulating the behavior of market participants. Noting the practical significance of the research results regarding the development of cooperation, integrated waste management [4], the formation of certainty and trust between interested parties [5], the mechanisms of formation of a set of such relations are not defined in the cited works. The role of the state in the management of construction waste is emphasized in study [6], the results of which confirmed the need for legislative incentives.…”

“…The generalization of the results of scientific research [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] led to the conclusion that the task to form an effective mechanism for stimulating the growth of the level of processing of construction waste remains unresolved and requires further research.…”

Circular Economy in the Building Sector: Investigating Awareness, Attitudes, Barriers, and Enablers through a Case Study in Saudi Arabia

“…As of now, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not established any formal laws or a nationwide strategy for CE [28]. There is a significant institutional fragmentation and insufficient attention to construction and demolition waste [29]. According to Ibrahim and Shirazi [30], neither Saudi Arabia nor the GCC have a holistic policy in place regarding CE.…”