Analysis of Waste Generation Characteristics during New Apartment Construction-Considering the Construction Phase

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Sep 19;16(18):3485. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16183485.

Abstract

The waste generation rate (WGR) is used to predict the generation of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) and has become a prevalent tool for efficient waste management systems. Many studies have focused on deriving the WGR, but most focused on demolition waste rather than construction waste (CW). Moreover, previous studies have used theoretical databases and thus were limited in showing changes in the generated CW during the construction period of actual sites. In this study, CW data were collected for recently completed apartment building sites through direct measurement, and the WGR was calculated by CW type for the construction period. The CW generation characteristics by type were analyzed, and the results were compared with those of previous studies. In this study, CW was classified into six types: Waste concrete, waste asphalt concrete, waste wood, waste synthetic resin, waste board, and mixed waste. The amount of CW generated was lowest at the beginning of the construction period. It slowly increased over time and then decreased again at the end. In particular, waste concrete and mixed waste were generated throughout the construction period, while other CWs were generated in the middle of the construction period or towards the end. The research method and results of this study are significant in that the construction period was considered, which has been neglected in previous studies on the WGR. These findings are expected to contribute to the development of efficient CW management systems.

Keywords: construction waste (CW); generation characteristics; new apartment construction; waste generation rate (WGR).

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Construction Materials / statistics & numerical data*
  • Housing / statistics & numerical data*
  • Republic of Korea
  • Waste Management / methods*
  • Waste Management / statistics & numerical data*