INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)
ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XIV, Issue II, February 2025
www.ijltemas.in Page 332
The Challenges in the Application of Circular Economy Principles
for Construction and Demolition Waste Management in South East
Nigeria
Itumo I.C., Okolie K.C., and Okoye N.M
Department of Building, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
DOI : https://doi.org/10.51583/IJLTEMAS.2025.14020034
Received: 01 March 2025; Accepted: 08 March 2025; Published: 24 March 2025
Abstract: The study examines the challenges associated with the application of circular economy principles for construction and
demolition waste management in South East Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted, utilizing structured questionnaires to
collect data from building construction professionals involved in ongoing projects across Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, and
Imo States. The target population consisted of 1,653 key stakeholders, including 333 clients, 894 contractors, and 426 consultants
engaged in public projects. A purposive sampling technique was employed to select a sample size of 322 participants, comprising
131 contractors, 40 clients, and 151 consultants proportionally distributed across the five states. The study's findings, assessed
using a mean decision rule of 2.50, reveal significant barriers to the effective adoption of circular economy principles in the study
area. Key challenges include the limited availability of infrastructure and technology necessary for sorting, recycling, and reuse of
construction and demolition waste, which impedes resource recovery within a circular economy framework. A lack of
collaboration and coordination among stakeholders disrupts the seamless flow of materials and information essential for
implementing circular economy initiatives. Furthermore, the insufficient integration of circular economy principles into current
waste management practices highlights a gap between theoretical frameworks and practical applications. Resistance to change
within the construction industry, stemming from entrenched practices and concerns about cost or feasibility, further exacerbates
the issue. To advance the adoption of circular economy practices, the study recommends the provision of adequate infrastructure
and technology to facilitate efficient waste sorting, recycling, and reuse. Addressing these barriers is critical for optimizing
resource efficiency, minimizing environmental impact, and promoting sustainability in construction waste management.
Keywords: Circular economy, Waste management, Construction waste, Construction and demolition waste
I. Introduction
Construction industry is considered to be one of the most significant industries in terms of contributing to the GDP and its impact
on health and safety of the working population. Construction industry is economically and socially important. However, the
construction industry and demolition process after the expiration of the life-cycle of a building or structure is one that produces a
considerable amount of waste (James and Richard, 2011). Wastes are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance
which is discarded after primary use, or it is worthless, defective and of no use. According to Thunberg, Rudberg, Karrbom
(2017), the term waste is often subjective (because what is waste to one need not necessarily be waste to another) and sometimes
objectively inaccurate (for example, to send scrap metals to a landfill is not proper because they are recyclable). Construction
waste is a term commonly used when referring to waste resulting from the construction industry. Construction waste, according to
Wuni and Shen (2022) is defined as “waste which are arising from construction, renovation, explosion activities, surplus and
damaged products and material arising in the course of construction work and on-site work”. It encompasses a wide variety of
materials resulting from various activities including soil, rocks and vegetation from excavation, land leveling, civil works and site
clearance (Greadel and Allenby, 2018). They also include roadwork materials (e.g., aggregates, pavement), worksite waste
materials such as wood, plastic, paper, glass, metals, and demolition waste such as bricks, concrete, soil, gravel, gypsum, steel).
Construction waste is due to excessively ordered supplies or mishandling of materials by unskilled laborers (Wuni and Shen,
2022)
Due to the significant role played by construction industry in developing and developed nation’s growth, it has been criticized as
unsustainable because it impacts negatively on the environment and makes onerous demands on natural resources (Osobajo 2020;
Rose and Stegemann, 2018). Therefore, researchers, policy makers, governments and non-governmental organizations have
recognized the need to promote sustainable construction. Nigeria, one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies and the most
populous, is endeavoring to implement sustainable practices. Its construction industry is viewed as lacking sustainable
construction approaches towards waste management. The industry is heavily dependent on natural resources and its activities
contribute to environmental degradation. A number of studies have identified high volumes of waste and this has highlighted the
need for alternative approaches to the current traditional method of construction linked to the linear economy. Construction waste
is generated throughout the construction process such as during site clearance, material use, material damage, material non-use,
excess procurement and human error. According to Ramli and Aziz (2017), the largest contributor to the generation of
construction waste is the building materials surplus. The short period of construction projects, normally 24 to 36 months with
different stages of construction makes estimation of waste quite difficult and inaccurate (Pakir, 2019). According to Pakir (2019),
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)
ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XIV, Issue II, February 2025
www.ijltemas.in Page 333
the exact quantity and composition of construction waste generated throughout the projects are difficult to be identified and keep
on changing due to the dynamic nature of construction activities.
Circular economy, which is perceived to emerge from the field of industrial ecology has recently earned the attention of
practitioners, including policymakers and scholars from different field of study and industry (Preston, 2012; Geissdoerfer, 2017).
This can be linked to the fundamental need and desire for an alternative approach to the traditional linear model of growth or
linear economy of take - make – dispose of materials (Lieder and Rashid, 2016; Schroeder et al., 2019). The concept has been
accepted by businesses across different sectors around the world as a solution to promote sustainability and the construction
industry is not an exception (Preston, 2012; Lieder and Rashid, 2016; Ghisellini 2018). The circular economy aims to foster an
economy that retains as much of the value of materials as possible, for as long as possible (EEA, 2016). This means that the
quantity of recycling or reuse is no longer the only objective: the type of recycling and the avoidance of down cycling is crucial.
To transition to a circular economy, action that goes beyond waste management and improved recycling is necessary, as all
products’ lifecycle stages need to be involved. Utilization is the act or process of using a particular thing, idea or method to
achieve a purpose (Dogo, 2018). Utilization of resources connotes the equitable use of resources of an enterprise. Construction
waste utilization is a practice to recycle and reuse wastes for sustainable management of limited resources (Napier, 2016).
Therefore, this paper seeks to examine the challenges in the application of circular economy principles for construction and
demolition waste management in the study area
II. Literature Review
Circular Economy (CE) in the Construction Industry
Circular construction is based on the concept of a circular economy model, which tries to keep the products and materials “in
flow” by means of effective reuse strategies, thus reducing the use of virgin materials and its negative environmental impacts.
Despite the economic, social and environmental contribution of the construction industry (Gencel, 2012), it accounts for the
highest amount of total waste generated globally (Núñez-Cacho, 2018; Van, 2014). While the construction industry consumes
more resources than any other industry (Pomponi and Moncaster, 2017), it also accounts for over 40% of the world's carbon
emission. According to Kibert (2016), over 50% of the entire waste being generated in the construction industry is associated with
end-of-life activities and operations, which are primarily from demolition. However, only about 30% of these materials are either
reused or recycled (Macarthur, 2013).
The current view suggests that it is likely impossible to reuse materials within the construction industry considering that buildings
are often disposed of at the end of their useful life. For example, demolition and construction waste in the UK is at an annual
average of 45.8 million tons (Akanbi, 2018). In response to Nuñez-Cacho (2018) observation that the construction industry
requires a closer attention due to its environmental impact, the industry should improve its resource consumption (Smol, 2015).
The current trends and practices in the construction industry suggest that CE can facilitate the sustainability of the industry. The
starting point is to understand how CE could contribute to the construction industry, given that CE can be instrumental in
reducing the environmental impact of the construction activities (Ghisellini, 2018).
Transition to a circular construction involves changes in value chains, from building design, from new professional behavior to
new ways of turning waste into a resource. It is necessary to promote C&D waste management guidelines in order to “contribute
to resource efficiency and enable the transition from a Linear to a Circular Economy” (Thunberg, Rudberg, Karrbom Gustavsson,
2017) The CE system in the construction and demolition industry has five influential stages: preconstruction, construction and
building renovation, collection and distribution, end-of-life, and material recovery and production
Adoption of Circular Economy Principle in the Management Construction and Demolition Waste
Transitioning towards a CE requires a holistic and global vision (Palafox-Alcantar, 2020). Nevertheless, sectoral economic
approaches are essential for initiating discussions and implementing real actions. In the European context, the European
Commission (EC, 2015) developed a package in 2015 to support the European Union’s transition to a CE by adopting an action
plan to enhance global competitiveness, stimulate sustainable economic growth, and generate new jobs. In the updated plan (EC,
2020), the EC identified seven key product value chains as priorities for accelerating the transition towards a higher degree of
circularity. These are:
(i) electronics and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT),
(ii) batteries and vehicles,
(iii) packaging,
(iv) plastics,
(v) textiles,
(vi) construction and buildings,
(vii) food, water, and nutrients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
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ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XIV, Issue II, February 2025
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The C&D sector is crucial for consideration, as it produces the highest amount of waste compared with other economic activities
worldwide. Upon demolition, the building products often cannot be disassembled, reused, or recycled. Once obsolete, they are
discarded and mostly end up in landfills (Cheshire, 2016). Actions to make the C&D sector more circular include not just
recycling, but also:
(i) implementing strategies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
(ii) operational zing processes that minimize resource depletion (Hodge, 2010;),
(iii) avoiding the use of toxic materials, and (iv) diverting waste from land filling, as landfill capacity is becoming
limited (Orsini and Marrone, 2019).
The intrinsic essence of CE lies in reduced disposal of waste into landfills through the utilization of the rejected items in any other
viable manner. The CE of construction waste is a 4R solution focusing on Reduce-Reuse-Recycle-Recover operations of raw
materials (Sieffert 2014). With greater application of reuse, recycle, and recover operations, the procurement of raw materials
becomes slow and/or stagnant, which not only brings economic benefits but also reduces the amount of GHG emissions resulting
from procurement and supply chain activities. Moreover, reduced operation of waste is beneficial as it not only reduces the waste
but also prevents the consequent negative effects of waste generation on our living environment.
The construction sector is currently in the early stages of implementing CE (Hossain 2018). To have a clearer perspective on how
to use CE in the construction sector and to ease the transition to a circular approach, some frameworks have been proposed.
Hossain (2020) suggested a framework for implementing the CE in sustainable constructions. Their framework includes modular
design, reuse, recycling initiatives, and repair techniques to recover the materials after deconstruction. This framework also
considers the usage of waste as resources in different industries, by circulating materials in open loops. The framework created by
López Ruiz. (2020) highlighted the use of CE for treating construction and demolition wastes (C&DW). This framework
concentrated on the end-of-life of buildings and was based on the 3R CE principle in the construction and demolition waste
management. This framework was then specialized in López Ruiz et al. (2022) for the application of CE for concrete wastes in
the construction sector. Hentges (2022) discussed the possibilities of implementing circular economy in the Brazilian construction
sector. Possibilities such as waste sorting, valorizing wastes, and incorporating wastes from other industries were depicted as
some of the opportunities to apply circular economy in the construction industry. In the framework proposed by Rahla (2021),
deconstruction of the building and reuse, using recycled materials in the production stage, and repair concepts were suggested as
activities to implement CE in the construction sector. Their proposed framework emphasized the importance of using CE in the
design stage, as well as for waste generation to keep the materials in closed loops.
III. Methodology
This study utilized a survey design approach, employing questionnaires to gather data from building construction professionals
actively involved in ongoing projects within Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, and Imo States. The target population included
contractors, clients, and officials from building development control units within the states' Physical Planning Boards, all of
whom were fully registered professionals. A preliminary survey revealed a total population of 1,653 key stakeholders comprising
333 clients, 894 contractors, and 426 consultants engaged in public projects. Using purposive sampling, a sample size of 322
participants was selected, which included 131 contractors, 40 clients, and 151 consultants proportionally distributed across the
five states.
The questionnaires were sent to the heads of departments, site managers, and other key stakeholders to gather detailed insights
into their experiences and perspectives. A structured questionnaire with open-ended questions ensured consistency while allowing
for a conversational style that facilitated deeper exploration of relevant topics. This approach enabled the researcher to clarify
responses and obtain rich, context-specific data aligned with the study's objectives. The questionnaires were designed to provide
comprehensive information on the challenges of construction professionals in the region.
IV. Results and Discussion
Table 1 Showing the Mean Scores of the Respondents on the Challenges in the Application of Circular Economy Principle for
Construction and Demolition Waste Management.
S/N
N
Mean
Std.
Deviation
Rank
1
Limited infrastructure and technology are available to support the efficient sorting,
recycling, and reuse of construction and demolition wastes in a circular economy
framework.
318
3.51
.501
1st
2
Collaboration and coordination among stakeholders along the construction and
demolition waste value chain are lacking, impeding the implementation of circular
economy initiatives.
318
3.49
.501
2nd
3
Circular economy principles are not sufficiently integrated into the current waste
318
3.49
.501
2nd
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,
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management practices of construction and demolition projects.
4
Resistance to change within the industry prevent the widespread adoption of
innovative circular economy practices for construction and demolition waste
management.
318
2.55
1.130
3rd
5
Existing regulations and policies do not adequately support or incentivize the
adoption of circular economy practices in managing construction and demolition
wastes.
318
2.43
1.112
4th
6
Economic viability and cost considerations often prioritize conventional waste
disposal methods over circular economy approaches in construction and
demolition projects.
318
2.36
1.122
5th
7
The traditional linear model of "take-make-dispose" is deeply ingrained in the
practices and culture of the construction industry, hindering the transition to
circular economy principles.
318
2.04
.828
6th
8
There is a lack of awareness and understanding among stakeholders about the
concept and benefits of circular economy in construction and demolition waste
management
318
2.04
.836
7th
The findings presented in Table 1, assessed using a mean decision rule of 2.50, highlight the challenges associated with applying
the circular economy principle for construction and demolition waste management in the study area. Key observations include:
Limited Infrastructure and Technology: There is a scarcity of infrastructure and technology to support efficient sorting, recycling,
and reuse of construction and demolition wastes within a circular economy framework. This limitation hinders the effective
implementation of circular economy practices, which rely on advanced technologies and facilities for waste processing and
resource recovery. Lack of Collaboration and Coordination: Collaboration and coordination among stakeholders involved in the
construction and demolition waste value chain are lacking. This lack of cooperation impedes the seamless flow of materials and
information necessary for implementing circular economy initiatives effectively. Without coordinated efforts, stakeholders may
struggle to optimize resource use and minimize waste generation.
Insufficient Integration of Circular Economy Principles: Circular economy principles are not adequately integrated into the
current waste management practices of construction and demolition projects. This suggests a disconnect between theoretical
concepts of circularity and practical implementation in the industry. Without proper integration, opportunities for maximizing
resource efficiency and minimizing environmental impact may be missed. Resistance to Change: There is resistance to change
within the industry, preventing the widespread adoption of innovative circular economy practices for construction and demolition
waste management. Resistance may stem from various factors, including entrenched practices, lack of awareness, and concerns
about cost or feasibility. Overcoming this resistance is essential for driving meaningful progress towards more sustainable waste
management practices.
V. Conclusion and Recommendation
This study explored the challenges associated with the application of circular economy principles for construction and demolition
waste management in South East Nigeria, using a survey approach to gather data from building construction professionals across
Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, and Imo States. The findings revealed several significant barriers to the effective adoption of
circular economy principles. These include limited infrastructure and technology for sorting, recycling, and reuse of waste
materials; a lack of collaboration and coordination among stakeholders in the waste management value chain; insufficient
integration of circular economy principles into existing waste management practices; and resistance to change within the
construction industry. These challenges collectively hinder efforts to optimize resource efficiency, minimize environmental
impact, and promote sustainability in construction waste management. Addressing these barriers is critical for advancing the
adoption of circular economy practices in the construction sector. The paper recommends that enough infrastructure and
technology should be made available to support the efficient sorting, recycling, and reuse of construction and demolition wastes
in a circular economy framework
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MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)
ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XIV, Issue II, February 2025
www.ijltemas.in Page 336
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