Department of Real Estate and Construction, Faculty of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Department of Real Estate and Construction, Faculty of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
Waste Manag. 2021 Feb 15;121:343-353. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2020.12.029. Epub 2021 Jan 6.
Around the global construction industry, there is an emerging trend to pursue a "zero-waste" goal at the site level, but little is known about it. This paper aims to shed insights on the waste management concept of "zero waste construction site" by delineating its meaning, system boundary, assessment period, and operation strategies, which are further formulated in an analytical framework. Owing to the nascent nature of the concept, we adopted a qualitative approach including archival study, a series of semi-structured interviews, and two in-depth case studies in Shenzhen, China to sketch the analytical framework. Meanwhile, an analogy between "zero waste construction site" and "net zero building" is continuously made to fine-tune and finalize the framework. This research demonstrates that the zero-waste goal is challenging but achievable on individual construction sites. The system boundary to examine the zero-waste goal is contingent on the project scope, be it a new construction, renovation, or demolition project. The assessment period is dependent on the duration of the construction project. However, it would be too costly, if not entirely impossible, to achieve a "zero waste construction site" by treating it as a closed system. Rather, one needs to consider open, off-site strategies, e.g., engaging third-party recycling services, reusing recycled materials in subsequent projects, or trading it in to a recycled material market. The analytical framework can be utilized to scrutinize existing construction waste management practices. In the long term, the research will contribute positively to a "zero waste" society.
在全球建筑行业，正在出现一种在现场层面追求“零浪费”目标的新兴趋势，但对此知之甚少。本文旨在通过阐述“零浪费建筑工地”的废物管理概念的含义、系统边界、评估期和运营策略，深入了解这一概念，这些内容进一步在分析框架中进行了阐述。由于该概念处于起步阶段，我们采用了定性方法，包括档案研究、一系列半结构化访谈以及在中国深圳的两个深入案例研究，以勾勒出分析框架。同时，不断将“零浪费建筑工地”与“净零建筑”进行类比，以调整和完善框架。本研究表明，在单个建筑工地实现零浪费目标具有挑战性，但并非不可实现。检查零浪费目标的系统边界取决于项目范围，无论是新建、翻新还是拆除项目。评估期取决于施工项目的持续时间。然而，如果将其视为一个封闭系统，实现“零浪费建筑工地”将过于昂贵，甚至完全不可能。相反，需要考虑开放的、场外的策略，例如，利用第三方回收服务，在后续项目中重复使用回收材料，或将其交易到回收材料市场。该分析框架可用于仔细检查现有的建筑废物管理实践。从长远来看，这项研究将对建设“零浪费”社会产生积极影响。
