Developments in Civil Engineering

Construction and Demolition Waste Management towards Zero Waste and Net Zero in the Built Environment

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste management is central to improving resource efficiency and reducing the environmental impacts of the built environment. Progress towards zero waste and net zero requires coordinated action across the asset life cycle, from design and procurement to construction, renovation and deconstruction. Waste prevention, direct reuse and high-quality recycling can reduce demand for virgin materials and avoid disposal, but their carbon benefits depend on material performance, processing requirements, transport distances and the products they replace.

This special issue aims to advance management methods, technologies, strategies and policies that make C&D waste reduction, reuse and recycling more effective and efficient. It will bring together research that connects technical innovation with the organisational, economic and regulatory conditions required for implementation. The scope includes buildings and civil infrastructure, with attention to decisions at project, supply chain, city and regional scales.

Contributions may address waste prevention through design, procurement and site management; deconstruction and component reuse; sorting and recycling technologies; and secondary material markets. Studies of building information modelling, artificial intelligence, material passports and traceability are welcome where they demonstrate a clear waste management application. We also invite work on circular business models, reverse logistics, stakeholder behaviour, public procurement and policy evaluation, including implementation in regions with different institutional capacities.

A central aim is to connect circularity outcomes with credible evidence of decarbonisation. Submissions should explain how proposed interventions prevent waste, retain resources or improve recovery, and assess carbon implications where relevant. Life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, economic assessment and other rigorous approaches can help identify trade-offs and practical conditions for adoption. We welcome original research, critical and systematic reviews, and data notes that offer transferable insights for researchers, practitioners and policymakers working towards zero waste and net zero construction.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Waste prevention through design, procurement, lean construction, offsite production and improved site management.
• Building retention, adaptive reuse and asset life extension to avoid demolition waste.
• Pre-demolition audits, selective deconstruction, design for disassembly and direct reuse of components.
• Waste identification, segregation and sorting using sensors, robotics and automation, including contamination control.
• High-quality recycling and upcycling of C&D materials, including concrete, masonry, metals, timber and gypsum; performance and durability of recovered products.
• Digital tools for waste management, including building information modelling, artificial intelligence, digital twins, material passports and traceability.
• Waste forecasting, material flow analysis, decision support and optimisation of waste management systems.
• Reverse logistics, circular supply chains, secondary material markets and circular business models.
• Economic feasibility, investment and incentives for waste prevention, reuse and recycling.
• Stakeholder collaboration, organisational practices, behaviour, skills and barriers to adoption.
• Policy and regulatory evaluation, standards, quality assurance and circular public procurement.
• Life cycle assessment, whole life carbon, circularity indicators and trade-offs between resource recovery, cost and emissions.
• Safe management of hazardous waste, including asbestos, contaminated materials and protection of workers and the environment.
• Waste management during recovery, including reuse and recycling of construction debris after floods, storms and earthquakes.