Advocating an Informal Reuse of Waste and Circular Systems
September 4, 2024
Buildings have a lifespan, much like all lifeforms—they are ‘born’, ‘live’, and eventually reach their end. What happens to buildings once they have ‘outlived’ their usefulness? What happens during recycling versus reusing of construction and demolition waste? And what are the implications?
DEMOLITION AND VALUE
Nikhil Mittal, an architect from Delhi, recently demolished his house to build a new one. He shared an intriguing incident where the demolition contractor paid him for the opportunity to demolish the house because of the valuable materials that could be salvaged and sold. He elaborated: “I contacted several demolition contractors to find the best deal. Essentially, they offered to ‘buy’ my building as-is, providing me with money for its scrap value. They would then demolish the building and salvage whatever they could to cover their costs, offering me a few hundred thousand rupees in return.”
An interesting incident happened when he wanted it to be demolished quickly, “The contractor initially planned to demolish the house in two months. However, when I asked him to expedite the process, he offered me less money. He explained that using an excavator for a quicker demolition would damage more materials, reducing the salvageable amount,” Nikhil recounted.
His experience highlighted an example of the informal reuse of construction waste in developing nations, which could serve as a sustainable alternative to formal recycling processes. “The entire economy around demolition and salvaging is interconnected,” Nikhil observed. “Contractors and subcontractors work together, each specialising in different materials. For instance, some deal specifically with bricks, hiring manual labour to clean and stack them before selling to buyers.”
Linear life cycle vs circular systems
To understand waste production in a city or country, I used a simple method: I visited flea markets or venues where products in their last usable leg are sold. My excursions to markets, such as those behind Sim Lim Tower in Singapore, upstate New York, Delhi’s Chor Bazaar, Bhopal’s Kabadi Bazaar, and a similar market in Amman, provided insights into how quickly people in general discard products. In Singapore and New York, such markets are filled with new and usable items. In contrast, markets in Bhopal and Amman mostly have items that are not entirely usable but can be salvaged for parts.
Our economy relies heavily on consumerism, with companies traditionally encouraging product replacement rather than repair. However, we have reached a critical point where this approach is unsustainable. A significant portion of the global population is migrating to urban areas, which is expected to surge from 3.5 billion to 6.2 billion by 2050, predominantly in Africa and Asia.1
To accommodate this urban influx, cities are expanding rapidly, and concrete is being used at an unprecedented rate, leading to a crisis of construction debris.2 The construction industry is a major source of waste, with concrete making up a large portion of landfill material. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reports that the construction sector generates around 40 per cent of global waste while 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to buildings.3 The environmental impact is immense, with over 10 billion tons of concrete produced annually. This situation highlights the urgent need for a paradigm shift towards adopting circular economy principles to address climate change and reduce waste.
The process Nikhil described aligns with the principles of circular systems in architecture. Circular systems represent an innovative approach to design and construction, where materials and resources are continuously cycled through reuse, refurbishment and/or recycling. This approach shifts away from the traditional linear model of “take, make, dispose” to a regenerative process that mimics natural ecosystems.4
In circular architecture, buildings are thoughtfully designed with their entire life cycle in mind, enabling components and materials to be easily disassembled and repurposed. This approach significantly reduces waste, lowers environmental impact, and promotes sustainability by maintaining the value of materials over time.
Strategies for this system include the adaptive reuse of existing structures, integrating renewable resources, and employing modular construction techniques. As Nikhil noted, “Better management and infrastructure for processing demolition waste are essential. Creating formal markets and facilities for these materials would ensure they are reused or recycled more effectively.”
Nikhil’s experience underscores the need for a shift towards circular systems in construction. By embracing this approach, we can reduce waste, conserve resources, and create a more sustainable built environment.
WHAT HAPPENS TO C&D WASTE?
Today, India faces significant construction and demolition (C&D) waste challenges. Rapid urbanisation and infrastructure development have led to an exponential increase in C&D waste. The Indian construction industry, growing at an annual rate of 10 per cent, generates substantial amounts of C&D waste, with estimates ranging from 112 to 700 million tonnes annually. Historically, this waste has been inadequately managed, often dumped in landfills or unauthorised areas, causing ecological damage.5 Improper disposal of such waste also leads to environmental degradation, including air and water pollution. It reflects a linear economy model where valuable materials are discarded instead of being recycled or reused.
Despite introducing the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules in 20166 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, implementation remains weak, highlighting the need for better waste management and recycling infrastructure. India is estimated to generate one of the world’s highest amounts of C&D waste,7 but recycles only 1 per cent.8
[This is an excerpt. Subscribe to the digital edition or hardcopy to read the complete article.]
Nipun Prabhakar is an independent photographer and architect who works with various South Asian indigenous communities, working at the intersection of ideas, artefacts, folklore and the built environment. His work has appeared in major publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post, etc. In 2023, Nipun was invited to the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in London to present his work on architectural photography. He is also the founder of Dhammada Collective, a design group working towards a conscious, sustainable and equitable world. Nipun has been contributing his voice in words and photography to FuturArc since 2021. His way with words and pictorial portrayal of issues that matter to him have found a deep connection with the magazine team and readers.
Read more stories from FuturArc 3Q 2024 Green Awards: Architecture for Life After!
1 Urban Migration | UN-Habitat. https://unhabitat.org/topic/urban-migration. Accessed 9 July 2024.
2 Clifford, Brandon, and Wes McGee. Cyclopean Cannibalism. https://papers.cumincad.org/data/works/att/acadia18_404.pdf.
3 Shaping the Future of Construction. World Economic forum, May 2016, https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Shaping_the_Future_of_Construction_full_report__.pdf.
4 Benachio, Gabriel Luiz Fritz, et al. ‘Circular Economy in the Construction Industry: A Systematic Literature Review’. Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 260, July 2020, p.121046. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121046.
5 Ramanathan, Mohan, and V. G. Ram. ‘Status of C&D Waste Recycling in India’. Sustainable Environmental Geotechnics, edited by Krishna R. Reddy et al., vol. 89, Springer International Publishing, 2020, pp. 95–105. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51350-4_11.
6 Vikaspedia Domains. https://vikaspedia.in/energy/environment/waste-management/environment-ministry-notifies-construction-and-demolition-waste-management-rules-for-the-first-time. Accessed 9 July 2024.
7 ‘Construction Waste in India, One of World’s Largest Solid Waste Streams: Union Minister Hardeep S Puri’. The Times of India, 19 Feb. 2024. The Economic Times – The Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/construction-waste-in-india-one-of-worlds-largestsolid-waste-streams-union-minister-hardeep-s-puri/articleshow/107817654.cms.
8 India Manages to Recover and Recycle Only about 1 per cent of Its Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste, Says New CSE Analysis. https://www.cseindia.org/indiamanages-to-recover-and-recycle-only-about-1-per-cent-of- its-construction-and-demolition-10326. Accessed 9 July 2024.
9 Kirchherr, Julian, et al. ‘Conceptualizing the Circular Economy: An Analysis of 114 Definitions’. SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.2139/ ssrn.3037579.
10 Hillebrandt, Annette, et al. ‘Dismantling, Recovery and Disposal in Construction’. Manual of Recycling: Buildings as Sources of Materials, 1. Auflage, Detail Business Information GmbH, 2019.
To read the complete article, get your hardcopy at our online shop/newsstands/major bookstores; subscribe to FuturArc or download the FuturArc App to read the issues.
Previously Published Commentary
Contact us at https://www.futurarc.com/contact-us for older commentaries.