AN EVALUATION OF THE TOPICS RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION & DEMOLITION WASTE MANAGEMENT IN GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION SYSTEMS

Although the construction sector makes significant contributions to national economies, it also affects global carbon emissions, resource consumption, and solid waste generation, especially through construction and demolition (C&D) activities. To reduce these negative impacts, green building certification systems have been developed since the 1990s within the framework of sustainability principles. This study evaluates the integration of C&D waste management within green building certification systems worldwide, focusing on its potential to mitigate environmental and economic impacts. Using systematic analysis, 30 certification systems were examined under six main categories established within the scope of the research, and their criteria for waste management were assessed, including waste management planning, reuse, recycling, recovery, and landfilling. Based on the findings, the weight of the C&D waste issue in certification systems was compared. Results reveal varying emphasis of certification systems on C&D waste management, with the TRUE Zero Waste system showing the highest prioritization at 54.32%, while DGNB ranked lowest at 0.92%. Despite their prominence, widely adopted systems such as BREEAM and LEED demonstrated relatively low emphasis on C&D waste topics. The B.E.S.T.-Residential, which is in use in Türkiye placed in the first five certifications considering the weight given to the issue of C&D waste, and this is found to be an important step for Türkiye. The findings highlight the need for robust management strategies to minimize waste, enhance resource efficiency, and reduce environmental footprints, emphasizing the role of certification systems as catalysts for sustainable construction practices.