STATE OF PRACTICE IN THE C&DW SECTOR WHILE PURSUING CIRCULAR ECONOMY: THE ITALIAN RECYCLED MATERIALS MARKET IN ROAD ENGINEERING

Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) is mainly produced during the construction, demolition, or renovation activities of engineering structures and it accounts for a remarkable amount of the total C&DW generated, as it is estimated to be around 30%. This proportion differs across countries belonging to different types of economies and tends to be greater in countries with developing economies reaching 74% of total annual production. There is a plethora of applications that C&DW can be used for under a circular economic model and in this research study a focus is being given in the utilization of C&DW within the pavement engineering sector, and more specifically, in the utilization of said waste in road earthworks. Circular Economy can act as a steppingstone towards the uptake of C&DW recycling and exploitation. To understand the state of practice, a market and an implementation analysis have been conducted in Italy. The current applications of C&DW recycling into road projects were analyzed along with the existing regulations, and local producers. The results projected the various challenges faced by the involved stakeholders, along with the barriers that hinder the wide recycling of C&DW in road engineering projects. Finally, the proposed national action plans are analyzed and the future potential use of C&DW is put into context. The future of the specific research is going to involve a full scale, on-site implementation of C&DW in a defined road segment

Examining the critical factors that influence the success of construction and demolition waste reverse logistics operations

The reverse logistics (RL) performance of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) differs significantly between countries. Although some countries are successfully circular, other countries are still far behind; with C&DW being largely directed to landfills or being illegally dumped. There is a lack of guidelines on the requirements for transitioning countries towards C&DW diversion, and little attention has been given to the factors that influence the success of C&DW RL and increased circularity. This study aims to develop a framework that helps in structuring and assessing the success of C&DW RL on a regional level and serves as a guide for transitioning developing countries towards implementing such operations. Since the framework should help evaluate where interventions are needed to enhance performance, the exact domains to be used and their priorities should be identified. A systematic litera- ture review was conducted to identify the critical factors that affect the outcome of RL operations. After their identification, the interrelationships between the factors and the dependence and driving power of each are examined through interpretive structural modelling. This analysis provides valuable insights and thus, allows for the establishment of a hierarchy of factors that can serve as a guide for decision-makers. The developed framework can be utilized for enhancing the efficiency of current RL operations as well as for identifying the direction of action and efforts needed to shift developing countries towards the implementation of circular economy in the sector of C&DW