From rubble to resource: overcoming challenges and drivers in concrete waste recycling for a sustainable circular economy in the built environment

Abstract

The construction industry often encounters significant environmental challenges, driven by rising waste management demands and its substantial contribution to carbon emissions. Concrete waste accounts for a significant share of global construction sector waste, underscoring the urgent need for effective resource recovery methods. Concrete waste recycling (CWR) is increasingly recognized as a circular-economy strategy to reduce waste and minimize environmental impact. However, despite its perceived advantages, widespread adoption remains stifled by systemic barriers. While previous studies have broadly addressed construction waste management, comprehensive reviews focusing specifically on CWR barriers and critical success factors (CSFs) remain limited. To address this gap, this study systematically reviews the barriers and CSFs influencing CWR implementation in the built environment. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach, 65 scholarly publications were retained for analysis. The review identified 30 barriers across six domains, with the most dominant being high investment costs, poor quality and limited applications of recycled concrete products, lack of comprehensive regulations, limited advanced recycling technologies, and insufficient recycling facilities. The CSFs for CWR implementation encompass legal and regulatory, economic and market, infrastructure and technology, and knowledge and education drivers. The study integrates these findings into a conceptual framework that defines CWR's systemic drivers, barriers, and stakeholders for effective implementation. It emphasizes that overcoming CWR barriers requires implementing relevant CSFs, supported by coordinated stakeholder action across the concrete recycling value chain. The findings provide practical insights for practitioners and policymakers to enhance CWR and achieve circular economy objectives in the built environment. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]