Circular Economy and Sustainability in Construction and Demolition Waste Management

Construction sector in India is on the verge of significant demand-supply gap due to shortage of construction materials. The material value associated with construction and demolition (C&D) waste is getting lost in landfills due to the inadequacy of waste processing facilities. With a recovery rate of only 1% and “poor” level of circularity, India is facing huge environmental and economic losses due to unprocessed C & D waste. Although decision-makers investigate viable solutions for C&D waste management; absence of C&D waste management knowledge amongst generators and collectors has limited enforcement of such laws. Here, a much-needed understanding of sustainability is needed, including incorporating a circular economy (CE) based on a C&D waste management system emphasizing the 4 R’s- Reduce, Recover, Reuse, and Recycle. In this paper, we intend to recognize the benefits and challenges associated with CE-closed-loop model implementation that can significantly benefit decision-makers in formulating realistic regulations for promoting sustainability in C&D waste sector.