Title: Advancing The Circular Economy In Construction: Recycling And Reusing Construction And Demolition Waste For Sustainable Building Development
Authors: Ahmed Adeleye SALAMI , Steve JAYEOBA , Adedamola Ibukunoluwa ADENIJI , Oluyemi Emmanuel BABATUNDE , Timothy AMUSAN
Volume: 10
Issue: 9
Pages: 103-110
Publication Date: 2026/09/28
Abstract:
The construction sector consumes large quantities of natural resources while generating substantial volumes of construction and demolition waste (CDW), creating linked concerns around landfill pressure, resource depletion and emissions. This study examines how circular economy (CE) principles can improve the recovery, recycling and reuse of CDW for sustainable building development. It adopts a structured qualitative literature-review methodology, drawing together the academic and practice-oriented sources cited in the study and comparing evidence on lifecycle planning, design for disassembly, selective demolition, recycled aggregates, reusable construction systems, digital traceability, policy instruments and secondary-material markets. The review shows that circular performance is strongest when waste prevention begins at the design and procurement stages and is supported by source segregation, reliable processing, quality assurance and pathways for reintegrating recovered materials into new construction. Across the reviewed evidence, recycled materials and selective recovery techniques can reduce dependence on virgin resources and landfill disposal, although performance and economic outcomes vary with material quality, market conditions, regulation, technical capacity and project context. The analysis also identifies persistent barriers, including fragmented responsibilities, uncertain demand for secondary materials, weak enforcement, limited finance, inconsistent standards and negative perceptions of recovered products. The study concludes that recycling alone is insufficien, a credible transition to circular construction requires coordinated action across the full building lifecycle, supported by design-for-reuse principles, collaborative supply chains, transparent assessment tools and enabling policy. It therefore recommends phased implementation that combines immediate improvements in segregation, procurement and quality control with longer-term development of digital material tracking, secondary-material markets, reusable systems and clearer regulatory incentives.