Comparative Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling
Policies at Home and Abroad
Q F Wang
*
and S Qin
School of Business, Shenyang Jianzhu University, Shenyang, China
Corresponding author and e-mail: Q F Wang, 383990405@qq.com
Abstract. Through the analysis of the construction waste recycling policies of the United
States and Japan, know that complete legal policies, the combination of macro policies and
micro policies, governmental incentives are keys to the realize the goal of construction waste
recycling of the United States and Japan. Analyze the present situation of construction waste
recycling policies in China, combine with the problem in our country, draw lessons from
foreign successful experience, put forward the suggestion of our country's construction waste
recycling from the law and the economy.
1. Introduction
Construction waste generated from the process of building construction or dismantling, mainly refers
to abandoned concrete, spoil, rubble, cullet and other solid waste [1]. With the accelerate of
urbanization process in our country, the scale of the building is expanding, and the old buildings that
need to be demolished are also growing, which makes the amount of construction waste disposal
increasing year by year. From the 1960s, in developed countries is to strengthen the support for
construction waste recycling by means of legal policy. In the case of the waste recycling mechanism
in our country is not perfect, this paper lessons from foreign successful experience, puts forward the
suggestion of our country's construction waste recycling.
2. Construction waste recycling policy in America and Japan
2.1. America
America is one of the earlier countries to recover construction waste, it is guide the enterprise to
engage in recycling activities of construction waste mainly from the aspects of technical policy, legal
policy, economic policy and so on. It will promote the recycling of construction waste can be
achieved.
2.1.1. Use of construction waste in different grade. The annual construction waste output in US
about 325 million tons accounting for 40% of total emissions of waste. According to the type and
characteristics of construction waste, the recycling of construction waste can be divided into three
levels and recycled in different levels: 1) Use in low-level. The construction workers are sorting and
piling up the waste, and simply backfill in the construction site, that accounting for about 50%～60%
of total emissions of construction waste; 2) Use in middle-level. The enterprises of construction
Wang, Q. and Qin, S.
Comparative Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling Policies at Home and Abroad.
In Proceedings of the International Workshop on Environmental Management, Science and Engineering (IWEMSE 2018), pages 393-400
ISBN: 978-989-758-344-5
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
393
waste disposal recycle construction waste, replacing traditional roadbed materials with it. Building
materials(Supported by 20170540755 and WJZ2016002.) enterprises processes construction waste
into a variety of blocks and aggregates, that accounting for about 40% of total emissions of
construction waste; 3) Use in high-level. Processing and reduction the construction waste to make it
into recycled building materials. Such as handling the construction waste into cement and asphalt [2].
2.1.2. Formulate a complete legal policy to regulate the behavior of recycling of construction waste.
The effective use of construction waste in America is due to a complete legal system. The “Solid
Waste Disposal Act”, which was promulgated in 1965, classifies solid waste and rules on the
disposal and discharge of waste in construction. The “Resource Recovery Act” passed in 1970, to
further expand the scope of work on the construction waste management, which from the simple
control of displacement and waste disposal to the management of recycling, reuse and reduction. The
"Code for Design of Construction Landfill" and "Administrative Licensing System for Construction
Waste" promulgated in 1980 made more detailed provisions on the handling of construction waste.
The enterprises can discharge or transport construction wastes after the relevant administrative
departments have made special permits. These policies achieve control from the beginning, which
controls the production of construction waste [3].
The United States has relied on government forces to carry forward the recycling of construction
waste and has made three major policy reforms. In the 1960s, the pollution control of construction
waste was realized through administrative means by the government and departments; In the 1970s,
companies were encouraged to reduce production of construction waste at source by stimulating the
market; In the 1980s, the government advocates, enterprise self-discipline and public participate in,
states formulate laws and regulations combined with their own characteristics, release the annual
emissions of construction waste and limit the emissions of construction waste[4].
2.1.3. Formulate economic policies to guide and encourage enterprises to engage in construction
waste disposal. American government has introduced a series of economic policies to encourage
more enterprises to engage in the recycling of construction waste. For example, Arizona law
stipulates that if the enterprises buy renewable resources or waste disposal equipment through
installments, the government can reduce the sales tax payable by 10%[4]. The United States also
promotes the recycling of construction waste through the means of direct stimulation. For example,
the American government levies discharge, garbage taxes and other taxes on enterprises that emit
construction waste.
The American Environmental Protection Agency has launched Building Savings plans to guide
companies in the recycling of construction waste, reducing the production and emissions of
construction waste from the source. The state government and enterprises to respond positively, there
have been a series of demonstration projects. For example, Senator Marion of Ohio classify the
construction waste and recycling available construction waste in the process of demolition, making
the construction waste recovery rate of the project reach 82%. State governments in America have
also formulated policies to guide enterprises classification recycling of construction waste. For
example, the California Environmental Protection Agency has established a database of building
waste recycling; Texas Department of Transportation invested $ 677 million in 2013 for the purchase
of recycled building materials, making 2.5 million tons of construction waste to be recycled rather
than simple landfill, saving $ 1.2 million for the local Environmental Protection Agency only by the
use of broken concrete.
2.2. Japan
Japan has a narrow land area and a shortage of natural resources, making it necessary to consider
how to save resources and achieve efficient recycling of construction waste. Japan divides recycling
IWEMSE 2018 - International Workshop on Environmental Management, Science and Engineering
394
of construction waste into three stages: the stage of generation, disposal and recycling. The emission
of construction waste is reduced and the recycling of construction waste is realized through various
stages of legislation combined with strict management system.
2.2.1. Laws and policies in the stage of construction waste production. In the stage of building waste
generation, the Japanese government has developed a series of policy to limit the production of waste
from the source. The Japanese government has stronger restraints on the construction and destruction
of buildings, as follows: during the design stage of the project, it is required to minimize or avoid the
emission of construction waste from the construction site as much as possible; the design should
extend the life of the building as long as possible; new or demolished buildings shall be applied to the
department, and should not be removed without authorization. As shown in Table 1:
Table 1. Laws and policies in the stage of construction waste production in Japan.
Name of laws and
regulations
year
main content
Main measures
The action plan
for construction
waste measures
1994
The government make a policy of building waste recycling
that performed by building unit, construction unit and
enterprises of construction waste recycling[5]
The enterprise
shall submit the
plan and the
relevant
departments shall
examine and file
the project before
the construction or
demolition of the
project
Construction of
by-product
recycling
initiative
1997
The government requires enterprises to reduce the
production and promote the recycling of construction
waste; The requirements for the recycling of construction
waste is zero emissions
Green
Procurement Law
2001
Try to buy building materials that do not pollute the
environment
Table 2. Laws and policies in the stage of construction waste disposal in Japan.
Laws and regulations
year
Main measures
The progress outline
for the subsidiary
products properly
handled
2002
It is forbidden to stack
and landfill
construction waste
Waste disposal act
2012
2.2.2. Laws and policies in the stage of construction waste disposal. In the stage of building waste
disposal, Japanese law stipulates that the disposal of construction waste shall be handled by the
emitter, and the emitter may, according to the law, entrust the construction waste to the construction
waste disposal enterprise for processing. In Japan, “Waste disposal act” and “The progress outline for
the subsidiary products properly handled” stipulate that construction waste should be handled by the
enterprise or entrusted to other enterprises with relevant qualifications [6]. For enterprises or
individuals who do not comply with the law, the government will sentence to criminal detention of
not more than five years or penalty below 10 million yen. As shown in Table 2:
Comparative Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling Policies at Home and Abroad
395
2.2.3. Laws and policies in the stage of construction waste recycling. In the stage of construction
waste recycling, the Japanese government established a system for the recovery of construction waste
in order to ensure the efficient recovery of construction waste. In order to regulate the market of
recycled materials and guide enterprises to engage in the production of recycled building materials,
the Japanese laws clear the relevant business responsibility and entry criteria. The government needs
to provide financial support for the enterprises that are resource for construction waste so that can
encourage enterprises to make waste resources. At the same time, the law stipulates that the types and
proportions of recycled materials for construction waste must be used in the projects, requiring public
buildings to use construction by-products as raw materials, and it is clear that there will be penalties
for not using them according to the rules. The law mandatory requires the government and
construction enterprise to use recycled materials, which can guarantee the interests of the
construction waste recycling company, and allowing more of the enterprises engaged in renewable
building materials production, so as to realize the construction waste recycling. As shown in Table 3:
Table 3. Laws and policies in the stage of construction waste recycling in Japan.
Laws and
regulations
year
main content
Main measures
Resource reuse
promotion act
1991
Enterprises need to "recycling" the construction waste
and recycle it according to the law; The enterprises will
be punished if the renewable resources fail to be used
effectively; At the same time, public facilities or
buildings must use recycled materials
The system of
classification and
recovery of
construction waste
is classified;
Public buildings
required must use
recycled materials
Construction waste
recycled promotion
act
2003
The scope, type and quantity of renewable materials that
need to be used in construction projects are clearly
defined; The law clearly stipulates that companies fail to
fulfill their obligations will be subject to administrative
penalties
The construction of
recycle act
2011
1) The building materials shall be dismantled in sort, and
the demolition shall be registered according to the
regulations; 2) the waste buildings should be removed
according to different categories to facilitate the reuse of
construction waste; 3) Clear the scope of responsibility of
government departments and relevant enterprises; 4) The
government is obliged to provide the necessary financial
assistance to the enterprises that promote the recycling of
construction waste
3. Experience and reference of recycling policy for construction waste in the America and
Japan
3.1. A complete legal system to ensure the recycling of construction waste
The United States and Japan not only control the phenomenon of random landfill and pile of
construction waste, but also to ensure the recycling of construction waste. Practice has proved that
the key to the realization of construction waste recycling is to develop a law that complete and
conform to national circumstances. More than a dozen laws, such as the "Solid Waste Disposal Act"
and the "Resource Recovery Act" issued in 1970 by the US government, and the “Waste Disposal
Act” promulgated in 1970 and the “Construction waste recycled promotion act” promulgated in 2003
by the Japanese government have made detailed regulations on the methods, procedures,
IWEMSE 2018 - International Workshop on Environmental Management, Science and Engineering
396
corresponding incentives and punishments for the recycling of construction waste. Which makes the
recycling of construction waste has a legal basis.
3.2. The combination of macro policies and micro to strengthen the policy of the operability
The United States and Japan have established a comprehensive legal system for the recycling of
construction waste and formulated a series of policy measures in conjunction with the law to ensure
the system of the law and feasibility of the policy. The American Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has launched a Building Savings plan direct at laws on the recycling of construction waste,
which lists the materials and funds saved by the demonstration project, and encourages enterprises to
recycle construction waste. Combined with the law, Japan implements different policies at various
stages of the recycling of construction waste. The effective link between law and policy ensures the
recycling of construction waste.
3.3. The government encourages the development of construction waste recycling enterprises
In order to encourage the related enterprises in the construction industry to engage in construction
waste recycling actively, for which local governments in the United States and Japan have adopted a
series of incentives and take the lead in buying recycled building materials. The enterprise of
construction waste recycling in the United States could be entitled to tax relief, and the states take the
lead in buying recycled building materials, the auditors of the State have the right to conduct
administrative punishments for local government that have not purchased recycled materials
according to regulations[7]. In order to promote company to increase the investment in the equipment
of construction waste recycling, technology research and development projects, Japan encourages
central and local governments to take the lead in purchasing and using recycled materials with
construction waste as raw material. In this way, enterprises are encouraged to carry out the utilization
of construction waste.
4. The current situation and problems of construction waste recycling policy in China
4.1. The current situation of construction waste recycling policy in China
Table 4. Estimation of construction waste output in China from 2007 to 2016.
year
construction
completed area(10
4
m
2
)
construction
building waste
output (10
4
t)
construction building
area(1 0
4
m
2
)
construction
demolition area
(10
4
m
2
)
construction
demolition waste
output (10
4
t)
construction waste
output (10
4
t)
(1)
(2)
(3)=(2)*0.055
(4)
(5)=(4)*10%
(6)=(5)*1.30
(7)=(3)+(6)[8]
2007
203992.70
11219.60
482005.50
48200.55
62660.72
73880.31
2008
223592.02
12297.56
530518.63
53051.86
68967.42
81264.98
2009
245401.64
13497.09
588593.91
58859.39
76517.21
90014.30
2010
277450.22
15259.76
708023.51
70802.35
92043.06
107302.82
2011
316429.28
17403.61
851828.12
85182.81
110737.66
128141.27
2012
358736.23
19730.49
986427.45
98642.75
128235.57
147966.06
2013
401520.93
22083.65
1132002.86
113200.29
147160.38
169244.03
2014
423357.30
23284.65
1249826.35
124982.64
162477.43
187562.08
2015
420784.94
23143.17
1239717.64
123971.76
161163.29
184306.46
2016
422382.27
23231.02
1264216.27
126421.63
164348.12
187579.14
With the rapid development of modern construction industry, the number of new projects, expansion
projects, reconstruction projects and projects to be removed is increasing, which generate a large
number of construction wastes. It is found that the annual output of construction waste in China is
increasing year by year though estimating the annual output of construction waste in recent years, the
results are shown in table 4:
Comparative Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling Policies at Home and Abroad
397
The increment speed of construction waste in China is significantly from 2010. It is estimated that
the annual growth rate of construction waste in 2010 and 2011 is more than 19%.
The problem of construction waste has attracted high attention of our government. China has
introduced a series of laws to make detailed regulations on the recycling of construction waste. The
"Municipal Solid Waste Disposal Law" issued in 1995 has made specific regulations on the
collection and disposal of construction waste, and has cleared the responsibility of the designer, the
contractor and the government department [6]. The "Law on Prevention and Control of
Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes" promulgated in 2005 has make provisions on the issues
that using advanced technology to control the generation of solid waste from the start, it also
stipulates that enterprises shall register for the processing of solid wastes, and dispose the waste after
getting the approval of the relevant department. In order to standardize the recycling of construction
waste, China set up the China Environmental Sanitation Association Construction Waste
Management and Resource Working Committee in June 2013, which have issued a report on the
construction waste recycling to explore the way to construction waste recycling in China.
4.2. The problems in recycling policy of construction waste in China
There is still a problem with the recovery of construction waste although China has developed a
series of policies to promote the recycling of construction waste.
4.2.1. Lack of special laws on the recycling of construction waste. There are many laws on the
recycling of construction waste, but there is no specific law to regulate the way of disposal of
construction waste. For a long time, the recycling of construction waste in our country is only
involved in the regulations, but has not risen to the legal level; it is just a rule, not mandatory. The
lack of specific law also makes the scope of the responsibilities for each regulator is unclear and
there are loopholes in the regulatory system for building waste.
4.2.2. Lack of supporting system to achieve policy objectives. In order to achieve the recycling of
construction waste, the United States adopts the classification of construction waste, and Japan
refined the classification of construction waste in order to classify and utilize it. However at present,
the utilization of construction waste in our country is piling up or landfill. Construction companies
are only required to recycle construction waste, but there is no recycling measure to match them.
Furthermore, the rules on the disposal of reclaimed construction waste are not clear enough.
4.2.3. More punish than reward, it is difficult to mobilize the enthusiasm of enterprises. The laws in
China only mentioned that the government should gives preferential tax to enterprises that engaged in
the recycling of construction waste, and supports the enterprises. But what kind of behavior can
enjoy tax cut, what are the preferential policies and the policy did not elaborate on what the tax
breaks would be, what preferential policies would be, and how the governments support the business
without explaining the details. On the contrary, the measurement model and collection range of
discharge, and penalties for enterprises that discharge construction waste in the policy are detailed.
Foreign experience shows that the government’s stimulation and tax preference can motivate
enterprises to engage in construction waste disposal.
5. Policy suggestions on perfecting recycling of construction wastes in China
The experience of the United States and Japan shows that the recycling of construction waste is
closely related to policies and laws. Learn from America and Japan, and combined with problems in
the process of construction waste recycling in China, the following suggestions are put forward for
the management of construction waste recycling in our country:
IWEMSE 2018 - International Workshop on Environmental Management, Science and Engineering
398
5.1. A set of policy system for recycling of construction waste is developed
Make special laws combine with the existing laws and regulations, formulate and perfect the
regulations and measures to forming a set of policy system for recycling of construction waste. A
number of laws on the recycling of construction waste have been introduced in our country, but they
are only some general terms, which make the construction waste recycling without legal protection.
Therefore, the special laws should be made for the recycling of construction waste, the policies and
measures that suit our national conditions should be introduced to solve the problems of low
utilization of construction waste and rampant disposal.
5.2. Deepen the policy of construction waste recycling
In the specific policies, the responsibility of the producer and the scope of the extension of
responsibility should be cleared, and the distribution of responsibilities in the construction waste
recycling process should be refined, the government supervises the enterprises to ensure the effective
operation of the policy. Meanwhile, the government should encourage enterprises to adopt the
method of classification recycling for construction waste. Recycled construction waste by category
can be directly into the market for use. Construction companies do not need to pay for the
classification recyclers, and the classified building waste is of higher quality, less impurit ies and
higher recyclable value, and enterprises can obtain more benefits.
5.3. The government enhanced the support and made clear economic policies
The enterprises engaged in the recycling of construction waste in our country generally have the
following disadvantages: small scale, large investment, high production cost, and unstable product
quality, these inherent defects create uncertainty for the development of enterprise. Government as a
perfectly rational party, they should fully safeguard the social interests and collective interests. The
enterprises that engaged in garbage disposal will be offered a discount on the loan by using economic
means, which can ensure the smooth development of construction waste recycling. The government
can take the lead in buying green building materials, thus forming a demonstration effect, which will
drive the development of the industry of recycled building materials. The government should guide
enterprises by various media to carry out the recycling of construction waste and provide reference
information to enterprises with the willingness to recycle the construction waste, such as establishing
the commodity database of construction waste recycling.
References
[1] Mercedes R M and Pilar I G 2010 Sustainable construction: construction and demolition
waste reconsidered J. Waste Management
＆
Research, vol.28 P 118-129
[2] Rao C J, Yang J, Xiao Y and Chen G 2014 The Research on Recycling of Construction Waste
in Shenzhen International Low - carbon CityJ. Construction Economy P 110-112
[3] Fan W G 2014 The Recycling Management of Construction Wastes: Overseas Experiences and
the Chinese Choice J. Contemporary Economic Management P 94
[4] Li X Z 2012 Present Situation of Utilization of Construction Waste in Foreign Countries and
the Difference in our country J. Brick & Tile World P 11
[5] Yang H R 2009 The Research on Urban Construction Waste Management Model Based on
Life Cycle Assessment D. Chongqing University
[6] Zhao S and Zheng F 2012 Study on the Legal System of Recycling of Construction Waste J.
Journal of Harbin University of Commerce (Social Science Edition) P 106-112
[7] Liu H Y and Huang Q S 2014 Research on Construction Waste Recycling Promblems and
Corresponding Countermeasures——Take Chengdu as an Example.J. Construction
Economy vol.35(10) P23-25
[8] Zhang X J 2013 Studies and Analysis on the Recycling of City Construction Waste in China D.
Comparative Analysis of Construction Waste Recycling Policies at Home and Abroad
399
Xi`an University of Architecture and TechnologyP17-20
IWEMSE 2018 - International Workshop on Environmental Management, Science and Engineering
400