Development is not just a want but a need. However, while fulfilling this need we often forget the amount of waste which is generated when new buildings or civil engineering structures (like bridges, highways, dams, utility plans etc.) are built by demolishing existing buildings or structures. This is called as Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste. Types of construction waste include heavy and bulky materials such as concrete, wood, asphalt, gypsum, metals, bricks etc.

According to a report by Worldwatch Institute, India is among the top ten countries generating the highest amount of C&D solid waste. A notification issued by the Environment Ministry in 2016 stated that the C&D waste generated by the country amounted to 530 million annually. The same notification also stated that local bodies will have to utilize 10 to 20% material from construction and demolition waste in municipal and government contracts. It issued a mandate for cities with a population of more than one million to establish a waste disposal facility within 18 months from the issue of these rules. The notification also stated that permission for new constructions will be given only when a functional C&D waste management plan is presented.

The ground reality of this law is not a very pleasant picture. Despite the issuance of waste management policy in India, only one plant has been established so far. Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) started a plant in Burari (Delhi) in 2009. The C&D waste has no permanent site where it could be collected. Consequently, it is often dumped on roads and outside sites, generating air and land pollution; the land eventually turns into a garbage dump.

However, there are several construction-waste recycling methods. C&D sure has the prospect of being converted into reusable material in the following ways:

• Waste-to-energy technologies can convert waste matter into various fuels that can supply energy.
• Some companies have also come up with ways to recycle concrete left behind by demolishing or renovating concrete structures.
• Other components, such as bricks can be recycled to be used as road base and construction fill. Bricks found in debris can be recycled into brick aggregate.
• It is difficult to extract tiles from walls in proper shapes and sizes, but even broken tile pieces can be a great resource to artist or designers to make murals or other decorative pieces.

There is a dire need to create more awareness among local bodies so that they work towards establishing recycling centres in the form of public-private partnerships. Construction companies also need to inculcate the habit of recycling C&D waste among builders.