Management of construction and demolition waste

摘要

The construction industry consumes huge amounts of natural resources and produces a significant quantity of construction and demolition (C&D) wastes. For example, in 2004, about 20 million tonnes of C&D waste was generated in Hong Kong, of which 12% was disposed of at landfills and 88% at public filling areas. The amount of C&D waste generated was about four to five times of that of municipal solid waste (i.e., domestic + commercial + industrial wastes). From 1993 to 2004, the annual generation of C&D waste in Hong Kong has more than doubled. The management of C&D waste has become a major environmental issue in Hong Kong in many other cities including those in Mainland China. There are growing interests in many parts of the world in reusing C&D waste by the construction industry. In addition to shortage of land for waste disposal and increasing cost of landfilling, environmental protection and conservation of natural aggregate resources are the main driving forces for the recycling of C&D waste.