Circular Economy in Disaster Recovery: Life Cycle Approaches to Debris

This study explores how circular economy principles and life cycle thinking can enhance environmental sustainability in disaster recovery and debris management. Conventional linear disaster management practices primarily rely on landfilling debris, which imposes significant environmental burdens. To address this challenge, this research investigates the environmental impacts of two circular strategies, involving recycling and reuse, as sustainable alternatives to linear practices. A bottom-up, archetype-based, cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment model is developed to quantify the environmental impacts of debris management strategies, particularly in terms of landfill dependency, material conservation, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The model is tested using the case study of the tornado disaster in Sullivan, Indiana. The results show that the tornado generated approximately 7 kilotons of construction and demolition debris, likely leading to about 12 kilotons of CO₂-equivalent embodied GHG emissions under conventional linear practices. However, nearly 46% of this debris could be recycled or reused, reducing reliance on landfills and the demand for new construction materials. These circular strategies could also cut GHG emissions by about 28% compared to the linear approach. The findings underscore the effectiveness of circular strategies in enhancing environmental sustainability in disaster management, emphasizing the importance of treating debris as an inventory of materials and resources for construction. Future research should address challenges related to data availability, debris separation, economic feasibility, supply chain, and logistics to support the adoption of circular strategies in disaster management. This study provides valuable insights for stakeholders and policymakers to advance sustainable disaster recovery through circular economy principles.