Comparing the implementation of concrete recycling in the Australian and Japanese construction industries

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Abstract

Environmental problems have been considered to be serious in the construction industry. Waste management pressures are pressing very hard with alarming industrial warming signals. Among the different types of construction and demolition wastes, concrete is about 81 percent of the volume of construction and demolition waste in Australia. To minimize the concrete waste generated from construction activities, recycling of concrete waste is one of the best methods to improve the environment. However, situations of concrete recycling in different countries vary considerably. Japan is a leading country in recycling concrete waste, with 100 percent recycling of the wastes that are used for new structural applications. This paper investigates the current concrete recycling situations in Australian and Japanese construction industries. A questionnaire survey and structured interviews were conducted. In comparing the current concrete recycling situations between Australia and Japan, it should be noted that major difficulties found from Australian and Japanese construction industries are on different phases of the transition to recycling of construction wastes. Therefore, it is suggested that the Australian construction industry should be: i) developing a unified policy in concrete recycling; ii) providing financial governmental support; iii) developing clear technical specifications or standards on the use of recycled aggregate for structural applications.

Introduction

The promotion of environmental management and the mission of sustainable development have exerted pressure on the adoption of proper methods to protect the environment across all industries, including construction. Extensive extraction of natural resources for building construction jeopardizes the principle of sustainability and has received increasing objections from environmentalists. Construction by nature is not necessarily an environmental-friendly activity. The comprehensive building development and redevelopment plans in different countries have aggravated construction problems pertaining to building demolition. To optimize the use of natural resources and particularly concrete demolition waste, there is a need to develop long-term action plans on the use of materials and to coordinate various interests among stakeholders and companies in the construction industry [1]. The hierarchy of disposal options can be categorized into six environmental impact levels, from low to high; namely, reduce, reuse, recycle, compost, incinerate and landfill [2]. Three main waste minimization strategies of reuse, recycle and reduction are collectively called the “3Rs”. To reduce construction waste generated on site, coordination among all those involved in the design and construction processes is essential.

Sustainable construction is a set of processes by which a profitable and competitive industry delivers built assets [3], [4]: i) to enhance the quality of life and to provide customer satisfaction; ii) to offer flexibility and the potential to help to anticipate and respond to anticipated future, user demands; iii) to provide and support desirable natural and social environments; and iv) to maximize the efficient use of resources. A potential contributor for sustainable performance can include recycling of construction waste.

The best way to deal with material wastes is not to create them in the first place [34], [63]. Table 1 summarizes the problems of the current practices and highlights some of the recommended measures for reducing the generation of construction wastes by improved management and operational improvements. Four management measures are highlighted including: i) policy; ii) training; iii) audit; and iv) feedback and two operational measures on design and construction stages are also considered.

Recycling, being one of the strategies in waste minimization, offers three major benefits [5]: i) to reduce the demand upon new resources; ii) to cut down transport and production energy costs; and iii) to use waste which would otherwise be transferred to landfill sites. Construction and demolition waste including demolished concrete, bricks and masonry, wood, glass, insulation, roofing, wire, pipe, rock and soil [6] constitutes a significant component in the total waste.

Among various types of construction and demolition waste, concrete constitutes the major proportions of the total waste of about 81 percent in Australia [7]. The situation of surrounding concrete recycling is varied in different countries. Japan is a leading country in concrete recycling, in which about 98 percent of concrete waste is recycled [8]. Most demolished concrete structures are reused for road-base materials and backfill materials, some can even be used it for structural applications [9], [10]. Although concrete recycling is recommended in the Australian construction industry, it is still not clear on concrete recycling procedures and the lack of experience in conducting these [11]. This limits the concrete recycling rate in Australia to only about 40 percent which is mainly used for low-grade applications [12].

Section snippets

Research objectives

This paper aims to achieve the following objectives:

  • to study waste generation in the Australian and Japanese construction industries;

  • to examine their regulatory requirements on waste minimization and concrete recycling procedures;

  • to investigate their current concrete recycling methods;

  • to examine their existing standards on the use of recycled concrete;

  • to examine and to compare benefits gained and difficulties encountered from concrete recycling in the Australian and Japanese construction

Construction waste problems

Waste is defined as by-product material of human and industrial activities that have no residual values [13]. From Table 2, about 32.4 million tons of solid waste are generated in Australia annually [7], of which about 42 percent is from the construction and demolition sectors. From that, about 7.8 million tons of material corresponding to about 57 percent of construction and demolition waste is recycled (see Table 3).

Among different types of construction and demolition wastes, concrete waste

Regulatory requirements on concrete recycling

One of the major factors to effectively handle waste recycling in the construction industry is the top management support [14]. However, the implementation of waste management requires a large amount of investment such as facilities and equipment, which is the main burden to the industry. To coordinate various construction stakeholders in implementing waste management, it is necessary that long-term policies and strategies should be developed and implement [15], [16].

Australia has three

Current concrete recycling methods

Basic equipment used to process virgin aggregate is similar to that used for crashing, sizing and stockpiling recycled aggregate. A recycling plant usually is comprised of crushers incorporating sieves, sorting devices and screens. The main recycling processes are crushing, sorting and screening to produce aggregate for use in civil engineering work, landscaping and as a substitute for gravel in concrete products [17].

Although the current concrete recycling method is used in many countries to

Existing standards on the use of recycled concrete

The construction industry and concrete manufacturers realize that they need to use available aggregate rather than search for the perfect aggregate to make an ideal concrete suitable for all concrete applications [24]. The importance of concrete recycling has been recognized by the industry, in which hundreds of tons of recycled aggregate concrete have been recycled and used for specific purposes such as road-base and pavement [11].

In Australia, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial

Research methodology

To examine the effectiveness of concrete recycling in the Australian and Japanese construction industries, a questionnaire survey was conducted. Four main sections are divided in the questionnaire. The first section seeks for awareness about concrete recycling, such as policy and participation of concrete recycling in their companies. The second section examines benefits gained from implementing concrete recycling. The third section investigates difficulties encountered in the implementation of

Awareness of concrete recycling

From the results shown in Table 11, it should be noted that awareness towards concrete recycling is quite high in both the Australian and Japanese construction industries, with more than half of the respondents being positive. In comparing the awareness between the two countries, it can be clearly shown that about 68 percent of the Japanese construction companies have used concrete recycling policies, objectives and procedures, which are higher than in Australia of about 48 percent. These

Recommendations to the Australian construction industry – lessons learned from japan

After collecting information from the questionnaire survey in the implementation of concrete recycling in the Australian and Japanese construction industries, it should be noted that the Australian concrete recycling practice is running behind Japan. Japan acts as a leading country in concrete recycling around the world. To improve concrete recycling in Australia, the following recommendations are suggested:

  • a)

    Although some states in Australia have been implementing concrete recycling very well,

Conclusions

The large generation of concrete waste causes a serious problem to the environment. Many countries are presently directing efforts towards measures to promote waste minimization and waste reuse. However, the situation surrounding concrete recycling in each country varies tremendously. This paper compared the cement waste recycling practices in Australia and Japan. From the questionnaire survey results, it is clear that awareness about concrete recycling is quite high in the Australian and

Acknowledgement

The author would like to thank Mr. Kazunobu Takagi for his help in conducting the survey.

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