construction & demolition waste management in the state
CONSTRUCTION & DEMOLITION WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE STATE OF KUWAIT: CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS A. ALBEESHI*, Z. MOHAMMAD** AND K. ALFADHEL** *
Engineering Training & Alumni Center, College of Engineering & Petroleum, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060, Kuwait ** Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering & Petroleum, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060, Kuwait
SUMMARY: Waste management in developing countries requires more responsive acts by their respective governments. Although construction and demolition wastes contribute the largest percentage of landfill wastes, decreasing negative impact on the environment by sustaining the natural resources excavated for construction industry, and thus reducing their costs, can be achieved when these wastes are properly handled. Countries that are lacking behind in the management of construction wastes need to measure their current status and revise their legislations in light of existing benchmarks such as Hong Kong or Singapore. This study reviews the current construction and demolition waste management policy in Kuwait, highlights the challenges facing recycling processes, and presents solutions to improve the available waste management practices. Kuwait has only one landfill that has been used since 2009. In the last 5 years, about 60-85% of the construction and demolition wastes are disposed in the landfill, which will definitely consume the remaining space very quickly. Although Kuwait had established two facilities specialized in treating and recycling the construction and demolition wastes, recycling faces several challenges that limited its effectiveness. This work discusses the implication of increasing awareness regarding construction stakeholders about the importance of waste management, and educating the public about the benefits of recycling by emphasizing the economic financial gain from recyclable products, along with the enforcement of Kuwait environmental legislation and regulations, to achieve a better construction and demolition wastes control framework.
1. INTRODUCTION Construction industry is accountable for up to 30% (Begum et al., 2009), and thus makes the major percentage of global waste and pollution worldwide (Faniran and Caban, 1998). The
Proceedings Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium/ 2 - 6 October 2017 S. Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Italy / © 2017 by CISA Publisher, Italy
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
construction, demolition and excavation waste in UK sums up to roughly 110 million tons per year which corresponds to 60% of the total national waste (Paine and Dhir, 2010; DEFRA, 2013). There are countries with alarming levels exceeding 40% such as Brazil (Saraiva et al., 2012) and Australia (Shen and Tam, 2002), while other countries tried hard to keep their percentages below the 30% line such as Canada (Yeheyis et al., 2013), Hong Kong (Lu and Tam, 2013), and the US (Yu et al., 2013). A detailed comparison is available in the work of (Oyedele et al., 2014). These overwhelming quantities of waste are responsible for green-house effects and pose threats on material disputation and environmental biodiversity (Treolar et al., 2003; Oyedele et al., 2014). In order to provide viable solutions for the rising global concerns, various governments instigated campaigns, legislations and initiatives to reduce and regulate construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Simulation and software packages such as BREEAM and Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH) have been used to promote materials reuse and recycling (Oyedele et al., 2014). The main factor involved in any waste management is waste minimization at source (Ajayi et al., 2015), where deconstruction approach plays an important role in minimizing waste generated from construction industry (Akinada et al., 2015). Many countries such as Hong Kong, Brazil, Bulgaria and Spain have enacted strict laws and legislations to solve the problem of C&D waste. They confirmed the need for a consistent waste management methodology to reduce waste disposal in landfills through recycling (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). The government of Hong Kong applied an administrative rule to prohibit the disposal of C&D waste in landfills if it contains more than 20% inert material by volume (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). Since 2003, Waste-Management-Plan (WMP) for all construction projects is required in Hong Kong (Tam, 2008). The Brazilian Environmental Protection Agency (CONAMA), published Resolution 307 in July 2002 forcing local authorities to set up plans for the sustainable management of C&D waste. In the European Union, the framework of the Sixth Environment Action Program stated that C&D waste must be managed. In France, a law for Waste Elimination and Materials Recovery was issued in July 1992 to prevent recyclable waste from being disposed in landfill (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). In Bulgaria, according to the recent urban development, large quantity of C&D waste must be controlled by construction companies and industrial firms (Hadjieva-Zaharieva et al., 2003). Consequently, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) executed a National Strategy for the Environment (NSE) and an action plan for waste utilization and recycling (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). In 2008, the Spanish government approved a national decree to control the production of C&D waste. This new regulation forces project developers to study and design construction projects under the waste management plan (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). The government of Kuwait has recently launched several projects for the infrastructure as part of the strategic development plan to establishing new cities and residential buildings. These projects require special attention to monitor the wastes generated from the construction industry, and thus need a national emergency waste management and control plans to minimize the negative adverse impacts on the environment and the natural resources. Since 2009, the country has used only one landfill, which is administered by Kuwait Municipality. In the past five
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
years, from 66-84% of the generated C&D wastes are disposed in the landfill (KMEAD: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). This study investigates the impairments that obstruct the utilization of recycled outputs in construction projects, and the tactics that would possibly expand the widespread implementation in the industry. This study would aid legislators in providing the right scaffolds to enhance the use of recycled products in construction projects, and forming a predominant marketplaces for the products as policies unceasingly motivate waste recycling. 2. CHALLENGES Landfills are sites to discard waste materials by burial and are considered the oldest and most common method of waste management. In many developing countries waste management is still considered a novel approach due to the volume of C&D wastes in landfills and the scarcity of land dedicated for disposal (Abdelhamid, 2014; Ghosh et al., 2016). Due to scarcity of land, developed nations like Singapore and Hong Kong do not consider building landfills as a sustainable solution for the growing amount of wastes. Therefore, minimization of wastes dumped in landfills requires the reduction of waste volume by incineration, recycling, and the reuse or reduction of the amount of wastes generated or collected at the source. In Singapore, effective Waste Management Plans have shown reduction of landfilled solid wastes through recycling. According to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources – 2016, 99% of the total amount of generated construction debris in Singapore was recycled (Zhang et al., 2010). In order to minimize the disposal of C&D wastes in Hong Kong, a Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme has been promulgated since 2006. Based on the hazardous nature of the solid waste, fines are imposed on individuals to enforce proper waste transportation, segregation, and handling (Yu et al., 2013).
Waste disposal along the way
Road
Figure 1. Illegal dump of construction and demolition waste.
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
In Kuwait and other developing countries, construction stakeholders view waste management as a means for the collection of wastes generated from construction, and then their discharge in any available open space away from urbanization, not necessarily designated as a landfill. Figure (1) shows an accumulation of waste disposal along the way to the designated landfill. Additionally, the wastes that manage to reach a controlled and an appropriate landfill are not purely classified as C&D wastes, and are thus troublesome as shown in Figure (2). The authority has been working on providing environmental solutions to handle solid waste in general, by developing a framework for the management of C&D wastes. Table (1) clearly proves that the existing landfill will soon run out of space (no more than two years at most) if the rate of waste landfilled remains at its current levels.
Table 1. Construction & demolition wastes generation and landfilling 2012-2016. Year Wastes Generated (Tons) Wastes Landfilled (Tons) Percentage of landfilled waste %
April 2012 March 2013
April 2013 March 2014
April 2014 March 2015
April 2015 March 2016
8,536,190
7,817,135
7,649,085
5,292,426.975
5,800,261
6,185,027
6,404,294
3,481,378.37
68
79
84
66
Lack of a strategic vision and an effective legal framework are the main reasons for the modest performance of the waste management sector in Kuwait. The main authorities involved in environmental and waste management in Kuwait are Environment Public Authority (EPA) and Kuwait Municipality. The government of Kuwait has issued the Cleanliness and Waste Transport Regulation and the Environmental Protection Act in order to reduce the negative impacts of wastes on the environment and sustain the natural resources by legal enforcement. Unfortunately, those authorities suffer from inefficiency and lack of responsibility and cooperation.
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
Figure 2. Different kinds of wastes mixed together and classified as construction and demolition waste.
Due to land limitation and the increased environmental awareness, recycling becomes the only principal solution to the problem of increased C&D wastes, as opposed to expanding the existing landfill or dedicating more land for the establishment of additional ones. Recycling converts the remains of reinforced concrete pillars to different sizes of recycled gravel, crushed sand, reinforced concrete steel, different metals, and asphalt gravel. Despite its economic viability and environmental adequacy, recycling faces several obstacles limiting its effectiveness. Some of these difficulties include the lack of effective legal framework, the amount and volume of non-recyclable waste, the inefficient waste-collection and/or transportation, and the absence of adequate segregation onsite and/or offsite. The deficiency of laws and proper guidelines related to the demolition activities made recycling to be solely operated under the supervision of the contractors without any interference from the government. After demolition, contractors usually extract the reinforcement bars from the concrete blocks. Doing so will damage the blocks and set a limit on recycling outcomes. Furthermore, contractors are responsible for the relocation of C&D wastes and the transportation to landfill sites. However, trucks are loaded without classification, regulations, or standard national or international protocols for truck drivers, landlords and contractors. There is no supervision on the process of tampering and transportation. Some truck drivers had unloaded their cargo in illegal sites and before they reach the designated landfills to reduce the cost of transportation and avoid the recycling charges. Trucks are often not covered, leading to the volatilization of some light wastes such as paper and sand. Negligence during the process of loading may lead to a partial loss of the load along the road.
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
Decision makers in Kuwait believed in the need for recycling and have been convinced to limit the number and size of landfills, and limit the use of available landfills to non-recyclable materials only. However, existing recycling companies suffer from low turnout, arbitrary fines, inappropriate feedstocks, and no end-users to purchase their products. These issues will make recycling companies go out of business, and hence forces the government to reconstruct landfills. 3. SOLUTIONS Kuwait established qualified companies holding international accreditation for the management of C&D wastes. These companies offer and apply advanced environmental solutions that serve the field of C&D wastes by providing world-certified venues for the transportation, management and implementation of construction wastes. Had the government enforced legislative actions properly, recycling would have proven success in handling the increasing amounts of C&D wastes. However, for recycling to become more effective, few restrictions need to be addressed. Both the government and the industries must cooperate to increase public reliance by enhancing the quality of recycled products, and consequently encouraging the incorporation of recycling products in a wide range of government as well as individual projects. Successful C&D waste management requires careful collection of waste by designated trucks. C&D wastes need to be sorted according to their type and segregated based on their recyclability to decide whether it may be further processed or directly disposed in the landfill (Abdelhamid, 2014; Wahi et al., 2016). Since most of the construction waste is a result of the demolition activities, and recycling problems are an output of defective demolition strategies as well as the lack of integrity of some contractors when they hamper concrete blocks to extract the reinforcement bars; therefore, intervention and supervision of the government is crucial during demolition processes. The demolition must be attributed to a governmental entity whose most important priority is to enact laws and develop a systematic environmental-oriented methodology for the demolition processes. Alternative solutions would be when the demolition activities are undertaken or, at least, supervised by the recycling companies or a payment system would be introduced by those companies to the contractors for a segregated fully recyclable load of wastes. In order to have an effective collection and transportation of wastes and assure a properly disposed of the wastes, the government may establish and enforce the construction stakeholders and the transportation companies to use an information systems and a real time tracking systems-GPS to report all the necessary data of the generated wastes like their type, weight and the shipping routes of the collected wastes. That procedure will prevent the generated wastes from ending up in illegal sites and prevent from other possible violations. This system has proven its success in Taiwan (Lai et al., 2016). A waste charging scheme - polluter pays principle is one way for the government to support and encourage recycling and reduce the amount of wastes dumped into landfills. This will resolve the current situation when trucks carrying non-recyclable wastes discharge their
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
content in the landfill free of charge, which encourages the contractors to deliberately declare their truck as non-recyclable to avoid paying recycling companies' fees when inspected by the municipality personnel. Marketing of recycled products is the bottleneck in waste management cycle, as long as natural materials to be used in construction activities are available at affordable prices with a better quality. It is important to realize that the market of recycled products in Kuwait can only be developed if the government expands its national standards and requirements of the materials as to meet the recycled materials specifications without, of course, sacrificing the quality and strength of the final results. Recycled aggregate has lower quality than the natural one; nonetheless it is adequate to be used in road works and backfilling. Furthermore, a calculated percentage of recycled aggregates could be mixed with natural aggregates to be used in concrete works that would reduce the cost but still maintain high quality and strength (Kartam et al., 2004). The collaboration between the recycling companies and the research institutions has to be encouraged to explore technologies that could enhance the quality and usage of the recycled products. Efficient collaboration between all parties from design to construction professionals will minimize wastes, maximize the productivity, quality, safety and profitability of the construction industry while achieving sustainability and reducing the negative impacts on the environment (Ajayi et al., 2016). It is the responsibility of the construction stakeholders to have a waste management plan with enforceable clauses for recycling and that each member of the construction industry should adopt recycling behavior (Sapuay, 2016). This task can be achieved by increasing environmental awareness through campaigns and professional training of the personnel in charge of implementing the waste management plan. In general, public awareness is key element in waste management, recycling and the applications of the recycled products. Encouraging public participation in recycling programs through incentives and environmental education, at early stages in schools, are highly recommended. Furthermore, Kuwait needs to develop a reliable updated waste data records in order to benchmark and evaluate the performance of its waste management sector with respect to developed countries (Zaman and Swapan, 2016). 4. CONCLUSIONS This study addressed the challenges that faces C&D waste management sector in Kuwait, suggested solutions and areas of improvements .With the growing rate of C&D waste generation in the State of Kuwait and in light of the continued landfill practices of this waste in a country with limited availability of land, the government enacted several legislations and initiated recycling projects with the help of private sector in order to minimize the thrust of such waste on the environment and sustain the natural resources used in the construction industry. The key challenge and the most important clause in any waste management strategy is waste
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
minimization. Sorting of C&D waste into reusable and recyclable waste increases the efficiency of waste reduction, and consequently minimizes the disposal to landfill. The solutions of this work aim to overcome the issues that degraded the effectiveness of recycling and were based on ratifying clear and detailed legislations for managing all aspects of C&D waste management. Additionally, periodic inspection by municipality and environmental authority is a crucial management instrument. Developing a comprehensive waste management plan for any construction project and adopting charging fee system for landfilling are effective approaches for reducing waste disposal to landfill. Moreover, design engineers play important roles in utilizing recycled products without compromising the quality of construction projects.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are grateful to Kuwait University, Kuwait Municipality, Environment Preservation Industrial Company and Industrial Bank of Kuwait for the valuable information provided to complete this study. REFERENCES Abdelhamid M.S. (2014). Assessment of Different Construction and Demolition Waste Management Approaches. HBRC Journal, vol. 10, 317-326. Ajayi S.O., Oyedele L.O., Akinade O.O., Bilal M., Owolabi H.A., Alaka H.A. and Kadiri K.O. (2016). Reducing waste to landfill: A need for cultural change in the UK construction industry. Journal of Building Engineering, vol. 5, 185-193. Ajayi S.O., Oyedele L.O., Bilal M., Akinade O.O., Alaka H.A., Owolabi H.A. and Kadiri K.O. (2015). Waste effectiveness of the construction industry: Understanding the impediments and requisites for improvements. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 102, 101-112 Akinade O.O., Oyedele L.O., Bilal M., Ajayi S.O., Owolabi H.A., Alaka H.A. and Bello S.A. (2015). Waste minimization through deconstruction: a BIM based deconstructability assessment score (BIM-DAS). Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 105, 167-176 Begum R.A., Siwar C., Pereira J.J. and Jaafar A.H. (2009). Attitude and behavioral factors in waste management in the construction industry of Malaysia. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 53, 321–328. DEFRA, Waste Prevention Programme for England: Overview of Evidence – A Rationale for Waste Prevention in England, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), London, 2013 Faniran O.O. and Caban G. (1998) Minimizing waste on construction project sites. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 5, n. 2, 182–188. Ghosh S.K., Haldar H.S., Chatterjee S. and Ghosh P. (2016). An Optimization Model on Construction and Demolition Waste Quantification from Building. Procedia Environmental Sciences, vol. 35, 279-288. Hadjieva-Zaharieva R., Dimitrova E. and Buyle-Bodin F. (2003). Building waste management in
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Bulgaria: challenges and opportunities. Waste Management, vol. 23, 749–761. Kartam N., Al-Mutairi N., Al-Ghusain I. and Al-Humoud J. (2004). Environmental management of construction and demolition waste in Kuwait. Waste Management, vol. 24, 1049-1059. KMEAD, Kuwait Municipality – Environmental Affairs Department, Annual Report (2013) KMEAD, Kuwait Municipality – Environmental Affairs Department, Annual Report (2014) KMEAD, Kuwait Municipality – Environmental Affairs Department, Annual Report (2015) KMEAD, Kuwait Municipality – Environmental Affairs Department, Annual Report (2016) Lai Y., Yeh L., Chen P., Sung P. and Lee Y. (2016). Management and Recycling of Construction Waste in Taiwan. Procedia Environmental Sciences, vol. 35, 723-730. Lu W. and Tam V.W.Y. (2013) Construction waste management policies and their effectiveness in Hong Kong: a longitudinal review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 23, 214– 223. Oyedele L.O., Ajayi S.O. and Kadiri K.O. (2014). Use of recycled products in UK construction industry: An empirical investigation into critical impediments and strategies for improvement. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 93, 23–31. Paine K.A. and Dhir R.K. (2010). Recycled aggregates in concrete: a performance related approach. Magazine of Concrete Research, vol. 62, n. 7, 519–530. Sapuay S.E (2016). Construction Waste – Potentials and Constraints. Procedia Environmental Sciences, vol. 35, 714-722. Saraiva T.S., Borges M.M. and Filho A.C. (2012). The importance of recycling of construction and demolition waste. In: Proceeding: 28th conference, opportunities, limits & needs towards an environmentally responsible architecture Lima. Shen L.Y. and Tam V.W.Y. (2002). Implementation of environmental management in the Hong Kong construction industry. International Journal of Project Management, vol. 20, 535–543. Solís-Guzmán J., Marrero M., Montes-Delgado M.V. and Ramírez-de-Arellano A. (2009). A Spanish model for quantification and management of construction waste. Waste Management, vol. 29, 2542–2548. Tam V.W.Y. (2008). On the effectiveness in implementing a waste-management-plan method in construction. Waste Management, vol. 28, 1072–1080. Treolar G.J., Gupta H., Love P.E.D. and Nguyen B. (2003). An analysis of factors influencing waste minimization and use of recycled materials for the construction of residential buildings. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 14, n. 1, 134-145. Wahi N., Joseph C., Tawie R. and Ikau R. (2016). Critical Review on Construction Waste Control Practices: Legislative and Waste Management Perspective. Procedia – Social and behavioral Sciences, vol. 224, 276-283. Yeheyis M., Hewage K., Alam M.S., Eskicioglu C.and Sadiq R. (2013). An overview of construction and demolition waste management in Canada: A lifecycle analysis approach to sustainability. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, vol. 15, n. 1, 81–91. Yu A. T.W., Poon C.S., Wong A., Yip R. and Jaillon L. (2013). Impact of Construction Waste
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Disposal Charging Scheme on work practices at construction sites in Hong Kong. Waste Management, vol. 33, 138-146. Zaman A.U. and Swapan M.S.H. (2016). Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking of Global Waste Management Systems. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 114, 32-41 Zhang D., Keat T.S. and Gersberg R.M. (2010). A comparison of municipal solid waste management in Berlin and Singapore. Waste Management, vol. 30, 921-933.
Engineering Training & Alumni Center, College of Engineering & Petroleum, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060, Kuwait ** Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering & Petroleum, Kuwait University, P.O. Box 5969, Safat 13060, Kuwait
SUMMARY: Waste management in developing countries requires more responsive acts by their respective governments. Although construction and demolition wastes contribute the largest percentage of landfill wastes, decreasing negative impact on the environment by sustaining the natural resources excavated for construction industry, and thus reducing their costs, can be achieved when these wastes are properly handled. Countries that are lacking behind in the management of construction wastes need to measure their current status and revise their legislations in light of existing benchmarks such as Hong Kong or Singapore. This study reviews the current construction and demolition waste management policy in Kuwait, highlights the challenges facing recycling processes, and presents solutions to improve the available waste management practices. Kuwait has only one landfill that has been used since 2009. In the last 5 years, about 60-85% of the construction and demolition wastes are disposed in the landfill, which will definitely consume the remaining space very quickly. Although Kuwait had established two facilities specialized in treating and recycling the construction and demolition wastes, recycling faces several challenges that limited its effectiveness. This work discusses the implication of increasing awareness regarding construction stakeholders about the importance of waste management, and educating the public about the benefits of recycling by emphasizing the economic financial gain from recyclable products, along with the enforcement of Kuwait environmental legislation and regulations, to achieve a better construction and demolition wastes control framework.
1. INTRODUCTION Construction industry is accountable for up to 30% (Begum et al., 2009), and thus makes the major percentage of global waste and pollution worldwide (Faniran and Caban, 1998). The
Proceedings Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium/ 2 - 6 October 2017 S. Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Italy / © 2017 by CISA Publisher, Italy
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
construction, demolition and excavation waste in UK sums up to roughly 110 million tons per year which corresponds to 60% of the total national waste (Paine and Dhir, 2010; DEFRA, 2013). There are countries with alarming levels exceeding 40% such as Brazil (Saraiva et al., 2012) and Australia (Shen and Tam, 2002), while other countries tried hard to keep their percentages below the 30% line such as Canada (Yeheyis et al., 2013), Hong Kong (Lu and Tam, 2013), and the US (Yu et al., 2013). A detailed comparison is available in the work of (Oyedele et al., 2014). These overwhelming quantities of waste are responsible for green-house effects and pose threats on material disputation and environmental biodiversity (Treolar et al., 2003; Oyedele et al., 2014). In order to provide viable solutions for the rising global concerns, various governments instigated campaigns, legislations and initiatives to reduce and regulate construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Simulation and software packages such as BREEAM and Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH) have been used to promote materials reuse and recycling (Oyedele et al., 2014). The main factor involved in any waste management is waste minimization at source (Ajayi et al., 2015), where deconstruction approach plays an important role in minimizing waste generated from construction industry (Akinada et al., 2015). Many countries such as Hong Kong, Brazil, Bulgaria and Spain have enacted strict laws and legislations to solve the problem of C&D waste. They confirmed the need for a consistent waste management methodology to reduce waste disposal in landfills through recycling (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). The government of Hong Kong applied an administrative rule to prohibit the disposal of C&D waste in landfills if it contains more than 20% inert material by volume (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). Since 2003, Waste-Management-Plan (WMP) for all construction projects is required in Hong Kong (Tam, 2008). The Brazilian Environmental Protection Agency (CONAMA), published Resolution 307 in July 2002 forcing local authorities to set up plans for the sustainable management of C&D waste. In the European Union, the framework of the Sixth Environment Action Program stated that C&D waste must be managed. In France, a law for Waste Elimination and Materials Recovery was issued in July 1992 to prevent recyclable waste from being disposed in landfill (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). In Bulgaria, according to the recent urban development, large quantity of C&D waste must be controlled by construction companies and industrial firms (Hadjieva-Zaharieva et al., 2003). Consequently, the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) executed a National Strategy for the Environment (NSE) and an action plan for waste utilization and recycling (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). In 2008, the Spanish government approved a national decree to control the production of C&D waste. This new regulation forces project developers to study and design construction projects under the waste management plan (Solís-Guzmán et al., 2009). The government of Kuwait has recently launched several projects for the infrastructure as part of the strategic development plan to establishing new cities and residential buildings. These projects require special attention to monitor the wastes generated from the construction industry, and thus need a national emergency waste management and control plans to minimize the negative adverse impacts on the environment and the natural resources. Since 2009, the country has used only one landfill, which is administered by Kuwait Municipality. In the past five
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
years, from 66-84% of the generated C&D wastes are disposed in the landfill (KMEAD: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). This study investigates the impairments that obstruct the utilization of recycled outputs in construction projects, and the tactics that would possibly expand the widespread implementation in the industry. This study would aid legislators in providing the right scaffolds to enhance the use of recycled products in construction projects, and forming a predominant marketplaces for the products as policies unceasingly motivate waste recycling. 2. CHALLENGES Landfills are sites to discard waste materials by burial and are considered the oldest and most common method of waste management. In many developing countries waste management is still considered a novel approach due to the volume of C&D wastes in landfills and the scarcity of land dedicated for disposal (Abdelhamid, 2014; Ghosh et al., 2016). Due to scarcity of land, developed nations like Singapore and Hong Kong do not consider building landfills as a sustainable solution for the growing amount of wastes. Therefore, minimization of wastes dumped in landfills requires the reduction of waste volume by incineration, recycling, and the reuse or reduction of the amount of wastes generated or collected at the source. In Singapore, effective Waste Management Plans have shown reduction of landfilled solid wastes through recycling. According to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources – 2016, 99% of the total amount of generated construction debris in Singapore was recycled (Zhang et al., 2010). In order to minimize the disposal of C&D wastes in Hong Kong, a Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme has been promulgated since 2006. Based on the hazardous nature of the solid waste, fines are imposed on individuals to enforce proper waste transportation, segregation, and handling (Yu et al., 2013).
Waste disposal along the way
Road
Figure 1. Illegal dump of construction and demolition waste.
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
In Kuwait and other developing countries, construction stakeholders view waste management as a means for the collection of wastes generated from construction, and then their discharge in any available open space away from urbanization, not necessarily designated as a landfill. Figure (1) shows an accumulation of waste disposal along the way to the designated landfill. Additionally, the wastes that manage to reach a controlled and an appropriate landfill are not purely classified as C&D wastes, and are thus troublesome as shown in Figure (2). The authority has been working on providing environmental solutions to handle solid waste in general, by developing a framework for the management of C&D wastes. Table (1) clearly proves that the existing landfill will soon run out of space (no more than two years at most) if the rate of waste landfilled remains at its current levels.
Table 1. Construction & demolition wastes generation and landfilling 2012-2016. Year Wastes Generated (Tons) Wastes Landfilled (Tons) Percentage of landfilled waste %
April 2012 March 2013
April 2013 March 2014
April 2014 March 2015
April 2015 March 2016
8,536,190
7,817,135
7,649,085
5,292,426.975
5,800,261
6,185,027
6,404,294
3,481,378.37
68
79
84
66
Lack of a strategic vision and an effective legal framework are the main reasons for the modest performance of the waste management sector in Kuwait. The main authorities involved in environmental and waste management in Kuwait are Environment Public Authority (EPA) and Kuwait Municipality. The government of Kuwait has issued the Cleanliness and Waste Transport Regulation and the Environmental Protection Act in order to reduce the negative impacts of wastes on the environment and sustain the natural resources by legal enforcement. Unfortunately, those authorities suffer from inefficiency and lack of responsibility and cooperation.
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
Figure 2. Different kinds of wastes mixed together and classified as construction and demolition waste.
Due to land limitation and the increased environmental awareness, recycling becomes the only principal solution to the problem of increased C&D wastes, as opposed to expanding the existing landfill or dedicating more land for the establishment of additional ones. Recycling converts the remains of reinforced concrete pillars to different sizes of recycled gravel, crushed sand, reinforced concrete steel, different metals, and asphalt gravel. Despite its economic viability and environmental adequacy, recycling faces several obstacles limiting its effectiveness. Some of these difficulties include the lack of effective legal framework, the amount and volume of non-recyclable waste, the inefficient waste-collection and/or transportation, and the absence of adequate segregation onsite and/or offsite. The deficiency of laws and proper guidelines related to the demolition activities made recycling to be solely operated under the supervision of the contractors without any interference from the government. After demolition, contractors usually extract the reinforcement bars from the concrete blocks. Doing so will damage the blocks and set a limit on recycling outcomes. Furthermore, contractors are responsible for the relocation of C&D wastes and the transportation to landfill sites. However, trucks are loaded without classification, regulations, or standard national or international protocols for truck drivers, landlords and contractors. There is no supervision on the process of tampering and transportation. Some truck drivers had unloaded their cargo in illegal sites and before they reach the designated landfills to reduce the cost of transportation and avoid the recycling charges. Trucks are often not covered, leading to the volatilization of some light wastes such as paper and sand. Negligence during the process of loading may lead to a partial loss of the load along the road.
Sardinia 2017 / Sixteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium / 2 - 6 October 2017
Decision makers in Kuwait believed in the need for recycling and have been convinced to limit the number and size of landfills, and limit the use of available landfills to non-recyclable materials only. However, existing recycling companies suffer from low turnout, arbitrary fines, inappropriate feedstocks, and no end-users to purchase their products. These issues will make recycling companies go out of business, and hence forces the government to reconstruct landfills. 3. SOLUTIONS Kuwait established qualified companies holding international accreditation for the management of C&D wastes. These companies offer and apply advanced environmental solutions that serve the field of C&D wastes by providing world-certified venues for the transportation, management and implementation of construction wastes. Had the government enforced legislative actions properly, recycling would have proven success in handling the increasing amounts of C&D wastes. However, for recycling to become more effective, few restrictions need to be addressed. Both the government and the industries must cooperate to increase public reliance by enhancing the quality of recycled products, and consequently encouraging the incorporation of recycling products in a wide range of government as well as individual projects. Successful C&D waste management requires careful collection of waste by designated trucks. C&D wastes need to be sorted according to their type and segregated based on their recyclability to decide whether it may be further processed or directly disposed in the landfill (Abdelhamid, 2014; Wahi et al., 2016). Since most of the construction waste is a result of the demolition activities, and recycling problems are an output of defective demolition strategies as well as the lack of integrity of some contractors when they hamper concrete blocks to extract the reinforcement bars; therefore, intervention and supervision of the government is crucial during demolition processes. The demolition must be attributed to a governmental entity whose most important priority is to enact laws and develop a systematic environmental-oriented methodology for the demolition processes. Alternative solutions would be when the demolition activities are undertaken or, at least, supervised by the recycling companies or a payment system would be introduced by those companies to the contractors for a segregated fully recyclable load of wastes. In order to have an effective collection and transportation of wastes and assure a properly disposed of the wastes, the government may establish and enforce the construction stakeholders and the transportation companies to use an information systems and a real time tracking systems-GPS to report all the necessary data of the generated wastes like their type, weight and the shipping routes of the collected wastes. That procedure will prevent the generated wastes from ending up in illegal sites and prevent from other possible violations. This system has proven its success in Taiwan (Lai et al., 2016). A waste charging scheme - polluter pays principle is one way for the government to support and encourage recycling and reduce the amount of wastes dumped into landfills. This will resolve the current situation when trucks carrying non-recyclable wastes discharge their
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content in the landfill free of charge, which encourages the contractors to deliberately declare their truck as non-recyclable to avoid paying recycling companies' fees when inspected by the municipality personnel. Marketing of recycled products is the bottleneck in waste management cycle, as long as natural materials to be used in construction activities are available at affordable prices with a better quality. It is important to realize that the market of recycled products in Kuwait can only be developed if the government expands its national standards and requirements of the materials as to meet the recycled materials specifications without, of course, sacrificing the quality and strength of the final results. Recycled aggregate has lower quality than the natural one; nonetheless it is adequate to be used in road works and backfilling. Furthermore, a calculated percentage of recycled aggregates could be mixed with natural aggregates to be used in concrete works that would reduce the cost but still maintain high quality and strength (Kartam et al., 2004). The collaboration between the recycling companies and the research institutions has to be encouraged to explore technologies that could enhance the quality and usage of the recycled products. Efficient collaboration between all parties from design to construction professionals will minimize wastes, maximize the productivity, quality, safety and profitability of the construction industry while achieving sustainability and reducing the negative impacts on the environment (Ajayi et al., 2016). It is the responsibility of the construction stakeholders to have a waste management plan with enforceable clauses for recycling and that each member of the construction industry should adopt recycling behavior (Sapuay, 2016). This task can be achieved by increasing environmental awareness through campaigns and professional training of the personnel in charge of implementing the waste management plan. In general, public awareness is key element in waste management, recycling and the applications of the recycled products. Encouraging public participation in recycling programs through incentives and environmental education, at early stages in schools, are highly recommended. Furthermore, Kuwait needs to develop a reliable updated waste data records in order to benchmark and evaluate the performance of its waste management sector with respect to developed countries (Zaman and Swapan, 2016). 4. CONCLUSIONS This study addressed the challenges that faces C&D waste management sector in Kuwait, suggested solutions and areas of improvements .With the growing rate of C&D waste generation in the State of Kuwait and in light of the continued landfill practices of this waste in a country with limited availability of land, the government enacted several legislations and initiated recycling projects with the help of private sector in order to minimize the thrust of such waste on the environment and sustain the natural resources used in the construction industry. The key challenge and the most important clause in any waste management strategy is waste
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minimization. Sorting of C&D waste into reusable and recyclable waste increases the efficiency of waste reduction, and consequently minimizes the disposal to landfill. The solutions of this work aim to overcome the issues that degraded the effectiveness of recycling and were based on ratifying clear and detailed legislations for managing all aspects of C&D waste management. Additionally, periodic inspection by municipality and environmental authority is a crucial management instrument. Developing a comprehensive waste management plan for any construction project and adopting charging fee system for landfilling are effective approaches for reducing waste disposal to landfill. Moreover, design engineers play important roles in utilizing recycled products without compromising the quality of construction projects.
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