Understanding The Drivers Of Housing Demolition Method Selection - A Waste Management Perspective

Construction and demolition of waste are important issues affecting the sustainability of the built environment. Of note, the management of demolition waste has yet to be fully investigated as a research topic. Using a case study methodology, key drivers that influence the selection of demolition method and the effect these drivers have on waste recovery, were identified. A key external dimension to demolishers concerned the type of feedstock available for demolition. A more internally focused dimension concerned organisational drivers and these were broken down into supply chain entrepreneurship, systematic site safety, demolition productivity and economies of scale. Another internally focused dimension looked more specifically at the project level of decision making and was broken down into physical demolition costs, client environmental needs, cartage costs, development approval needs and contaminated material needs. Of note, physical demolition costs could be broken down still further into site based costs, cartage costs, the "pay or paid" scale of waste saleability and government cost interventions. A model reflecting the order and context of the findings is presented in the paper and provides a basis for systematically studying and improving waste recovery. An ongoing research agenda is suggested