Influence of institutional arrangements on on-site recycling and reuse practices of C&D waste

Influence of institutional arrangements on on-site recycling and reuse practices of C&D waste

Ram, V.G.
Kalidindi, Satyanarayana
Nanduru, Harish Krishna

2017-06-21

Construction and demolition activities generate a large quantity of C&D waste. It is estimated that almost 70% of the buildings that are expected to stand in India by 2030 are yet to be built. Hence, C&D waste generation is expected to grow larger in the coming years and managing it would play a vital role in the conservation of natural resources. However, a major portion of C&D waste in India is generally dumped in landfills or unauthorised places causing considerable ecological damage. In the recent years, there is a considerable amount of heterogeneity in the C&D waste being generated in India. The practice of on-site waste sorting has been reported to enhance resource reuse and recycling efficiency in the literature. Several barriers to on-site waste sorting such as lack of site space, lack of management effort, increased labour and cost, interference with other site activities, market for recyclables and negative stakeholders’ attitudes have also been reported. Anecdotal evidences suggest that appropriate regulations might lead to changes in the stakeholders’ practices. However, a good understanding of stakeholders’ decision making is essential to design the kind of incentives to facilitate the transition in the behaviour towards on-site waste recycling and reuse. As a part of this paper, redevelopment projects in two different cities having different institutional arrangements have been studied. In case A, the waste generator is mandated to dispose C&D waste generated in authorised places but a specific incentive to perform on-site sorting, recycling and reuse is absent. In case B, there is a strict regulation mandating the contractor to enhance resource reuse and recycling on-site. Interviews of top management and project managers were conducted to identify the management practices and to understand their rationale behind decision-making regarding managing waste on-site. Top management commitment was found to be crucial in bringing changes in the practices adopted by respective organisation as observed in both case studies. Refusal to give building approvals or commencement certificates by the Government authorities without an elaborate waste management plan for enhanced reuse and recycling has also been found to be effective in bringing about a change towards on-site waste sorting and recycling. Several other insights gathered regarding on-site reuse practices and implications for designing appropriate incentives have been discussed.

Construction waste
On-site recycling
Reuse
Regulation
Case study

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Conference proceedings

conference paper

(c) 2017 The Author(s)