Framework for economic assessment of concrete waste management strategies

Abstract

Unlike developing countries, most developed countries address the problem of construction and demolition wastes (CDW) accumulation. In Egypt, CDW recycling plants are minimal. This study is devoted to understanding the economic aspects of constructing and operating a construction and demolition concrete waste recycling plant in Egypt. This includes accounting for several factors such as location, design of the recycling plant, the equipment used, and the material entering and leaving the plant. This is followed by implementing a detailed economic viability analysis that assesses the savings resulted from recycling concrete waste to produce recycled aggregate. CDW recycling plants give rise to economic viability as they seem economically viable even in the absence of specific government policies. A comprehensive case study of an actual project in New Cairo City in Egypt is presented in order to demonstrate the process of CDW disposal and illustrate the practical features of the proposed model.

Keywords: Construction and demolition wastes; economic viability; landfilling; recycling; waste management.