The effects of building and planning regulations on construction and demolition waste management

The construction industry generates overwhelming environmental waste, particularly during construction and demolition activities. While most of the waste is inert, the small amount of toxic and hazardous substances may cause significant environmental degradation leading to socio-economic impacts. Therefore, the construction industry is not only concerned with the life-safety of buildings but management of construction and demolition waste. However, implementation of these strategies indicates that technical, legislation, and other socio-economic constraints exist. The major impediment, that is, legislation and the process in which technological solutions are accepted by authorities with jurisdiction are considered. The review involves evaluation of the interfaces between environmental, planning, and building regulations more especially how they impose constraints on each other in respect to C&DW management. The evaluation reveals that the construction industry and its stakeholders neglect legal procedures of developing and deploying technology. Consequently, authorities having jurisdiction often preclude these technology-dependant C&DW management strategies citing reasons as non-compliance with prevailing building regulations.