The Attitudes of Demolition Contractors to Reusing Building Components: A Study in New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

Over 16 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste (C&D) is generated in Australia each year, and nearly 42% of this is disposed of in landfills. Waste disposal has a detrimental impact on the environment. Improved waste management practices are required to address sustainability goals. This study was conducted to investigate how demolition contractors' attitudes affect the ways they manage their operations and how these attitudes lead to the reuse of building components. The study was administered in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A questionnaire survey focusing on "Reuse" was designed and issued to demolition contractors. Forty-two responses were collected from the respondents. The results showed that nearly 38% of demolition contractors did not have any form of strategy, guideline or goal for reusing building components, despite most of them viewing this as a fairly important measure. Additionally, the study elicited other relevant factors including the main reasons for reusing building components and the significance of cooperating with building designers. This study concluded that, as demolition contractors play a pivotal role in the management of C&D waste, more attention is needed to improve their overall practices.

Using Recycled Construction and Demolition Waste Products: A Review of Stakeholders’ Perceptions, Decisions, and Motivations

“…It is a market that is largely influenced by various stakeholders across the supply chain of waste material [38]. While there is a large body of research on stakeholders' behaviours and attitudes for waste minimisation practices [22,28,[39][40][41][42], there is a little research around stakeholders' perceptions of utilising C&D waste recycled in the construction industry. The overall finding from studies on waste management attitudes and behaviour shows that while industry supports further recycling it is still not widely adopted.…”

An investigation into challenges and opportunities in the Australian construction and demolition waste management system

“…It is evident that unaligned policies and regulations are not facilitating good C&D waste practice or building a CE in Australia, so there is a critical need for understanding how key stakeholders perceive the issues and uncover opportunities relating to C&D waste management practices in Australia (Forghani et al. , 2018; Salim et al.…”

“…It is evident that unaligned policies and regulations are not facilitating good C&D waste practice or building a CE in Australia, so there is a critical need for understanding how key stakeholders perceive the issues and uncover opportunities relating to C&D waste management practices in Australia (Forghani et al, 2018;Salim et al, 2019;Tam et al, 2018;Udawatta et al, 2015a;Ratnasabapathy et al, 2021). Therefore, this study evaluates barriers and opportunities for effective C&D waste management in Australia through a survey of key stakeholders.…”

“…It is often argued that an increased understanding of key stakeholders' perceptions can inform policy development and be used as evidence for a broader discussion to solve lasting issues in C&D waste management. However, a limited body of research (Forghani et al, 2018;Salim et al, 2019;Tam et al, 2018;Udawatta et al, 2015a) has examined key stakeholders' perception of barriers and enablers towards national C&D waste management across Australian states and territories. The current study is part of a larger national study [1] investigating the harmonisation of C&D waste management systems in Australia.…”

“…It is often argued that an increased understanding of key stakeholders' perceptions can inform policy development and be used as evidence for a broader discussion to solve lasting issues in C&D waste management. However, a limited body of research (Forghani et al. , 2018; Salim et al.…”