Identification of recycling potential of construction and demolition waste: challenges and opportunities in the Greater Dhaka area

In the past five decades, Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh experienced urbanization in an unprecedented manner. The city has grown spatially in all directions to accommodate the urban population that resulted in accelerated growth of the construction and demolished floor areas in Dhaka and its surroundings, commonly known as the Greater Dhaka. As a result, the quantities of construction and demolition waste have increased significantly within this region. Through an onsite field investigation of 21 construction and 12 demolition project sites in Greater Dhaka, the study identified the waste generation rate to be approximately 463.67 kg and 90.31 kg per m² floor area of demolition and construction projects, respectively. Projection based on this waste generation rate; the annual waste amount has been calculated for the eight districts of the Greater Dhaka region. The recycling potential identified through this study also estimated the economic benefits of the studied construction and demolition waste (CDW) materials for these eight districts for years 2022 to 2030. The findings of the present study are expected to assist the relevant stakeholders and policymakers to devise business development and legislative measures for the successful implementation of the sustainable waste management plan for the construction industry.