IWWG Task Group on
Construction and Demolition (C&D)

TG Leader: Mohamed Osmani

Scope

Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste production equates to a large amount of carbon emissions that require all sectors of the economy, to a greater or lesser extent, to contribute to its reduction. The development and implementation of innovative and effective C&D waste management solutions will affect the contribution that waste management as a whole makes to climate change. The construction industry plays a leading role in improving the quality of the built environment, but its activities also impact on the wider environment in a number of ways, including waste production. The built environment consumes more natural resources than necessary and therefore generates a large amount of waste. It is difficult to give exact figures of construction waste produced in a typical construction project, but it is estimated that it is as much as 30% of the total weight of building materials delivered to a building site. In the USA, C&D activities generate over 170 million tonnes of waste per year, out of which 48% was estimated to be recovered. In terms of waste-designed facilities’ floor areas ratio, it is estimated most buildings in the USA generate between 20 to 30 kg/m^2 of C&D waste. In the European Union (EU), C&D activities produce the highest levels of waste, accounting for 855 million tons per year (33.3 % of the total EU waste; around four time household waste, which account for 221 million tons (8.6 %). At present, 75% of C&D waste in the EU is being landfilled, although over 80% recycling rates have been achieved in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands. In the UK, the disposal of C&D waste accounts for more than 50% of overall landfill volumes. Diverting C&D waste from landfill has a global political profile today unrivalled in recent historical times. Indeed, the last few years saw a combined plethora of waste related legislation, policies, strategies and guidance documents to curb waste production and increase recycling rates across all C&D sectors. To move forward with C&D waste agenda, a number of countries worldwide set ambitious targets and measures to monitor, support and implement ways to effectively manage C&D waste; including waste prevention, minimization, reuse, recycling, and energy recovery. Consequently, stakeholders in C&D sectors are under increasing pressure to improve their waste performance. Although the ideal of C&D sustainable waste management is well acknowledged and generally accepted, it is proving more difficult to implement. The IWWG set up the C&D Task Group to provide an international platform for C&D waste information exchange and dissemination; research and innovation; and practical applications for members and those engaged with the planning, procurement, design, construction, refurbishment, and demolition activities in the built environment.

Objectives

Specific objectives of the group include:

• Innovation and continuous improvement: identify C&D waste management best practice, develop collaborative new approaches, and enable innovation and continuous improvement.
• Engagement and influence:  engage with C&D waste researchers, policy makers and regulators, clients, consultants, contractors and suppliers at international levels. This engagement provides IWWG members with a unique insight into policy and regulation updates; emerging methods and techniques; and the opportunity to influence policy and industry development.
• Networking: knowledge sharing and exchange between research centres, groups, and individuals across the World to keep IWWG members informed on developments affecting C&D waste management in both construction and the wider built environment.
• Knowledge transfer: C&D Task Group activities facilitate knowledge and best practice transfer between IWWG task groups on the one hand; and between business and the science-base, and businesses and across sectors on the other.
• Conferences and events: IWWG rolling programme of conferences and events is designed to raise awareness, share knowledge and promote discussion on new and emerging WM topics, with specific discussions and workshops on C&DWM.
• Publications: the majority of C&D Task Group activities culminate in the publication of joint journal and conference papers, guidance documents, and best practice case studies.

Topics

Topics dealt with by the Task Group include:

• C&D waste and climate change.
• C&D waste performance indicators and benchmarking.
• C&D waste management standards and tools.
• C&D waste management innovation.
• C&D waste management practice: prevention, minimization, reuse, recycling, and energy recovery.
• C&D financial implications.
• C&D waste awareness, training and skills.
• C&D waste best practice case studies.
• C&D waste quantification.
• C&D waste mapping and source evaluation.
• C&D waste collaborative working.
• C&D waste minimisation at source. 
• Onsite C&D waste management.
• Refurbishment waste.
• Demolition waste.

Members and Membership

NEWS

Workshop

Recovery potential of construction and demolition waste

21-22 March 2019

Belgian Building Research Institute (BBRI), Brussels

For further details on the workshop, abstract submission, registration and travel and accommodation information click here.