Barriers to improving the environmental performance of construction waste management in remote communities

Abstract

The construction sector represents one of the most significant contributors to global waste production and is responsible for over 30% of the waste that ends up in landfill. Sending construction waste to landfill results in a broad range of environmental consequences including: degradation of land, habitat destruction, contamination of soil and groundwater, and release of methane. There is a growing awareness of the need to divert construction and demolition (C&D) waste from landfill for reuse or recycling. This helps maximise the value of the resources embodied in these materials and reduce the demand for virgin raw materials and the associated environment effects resulting from their extra..