Review of energy recovery from construction and demolition waste in Australia

Abstract

The construction industry in Australia has grown significantly in the past two decades in the wake of population growth, migration and expansion in the tertiary education industry. The growing population has necessitated extensive property development, better public transport and improved infrastructure. To achieve all of this, construction activities have been on rise; resulting in a significant growth in construction and demolition (C&D) waste generation. Australia has adopted a waste hierarchy to manage waste including C&D waste. According to this notion, waste produced should be managed in a hierarchal order comprising reduction, re-using, recycling, energy recovering, treatment and disposal. Energy recovery of waste is a new concept to the Australian context where, due to a lack of regulatory support and environmental concerns, it has not been well-developed. This review study aims to provide insight into Energy from Waste (EfW) activities in Australia at both national and jurisdictional levels. It reviews associated regulations and standards to show how EfW is being perceived and practiced. The findings demonstrate that Australia has a long way to go to fully utilise EfW opportunities, the role of government in providing regulatory support to promote EfW is found to be of particular importance. Furthermore, several measures are recommended to navigate efforts leading to improved C&D energy recovery activities in Australia. The results are expected to be beneficial to the C&D waste industry, researchers and regulatory authorities in the development of useful regulations and best management practices.