Barriers to the Commercialization of Construction and Demolition Waste in Brazil, Evidence to Advance Urban Circular Economy Practices

Abstract

Among Construction and demolition waste (CDW) has become a persistent challenge for urban sustainability, particularly in developing countries where institutional capacity and market coordination remain limited. While the reuse of CDW is widely recognized as technically feasible, its commercialization continues to face underlying obstacles. This research examines the factors limiting the consolidation of the CDW market in Maceió, Northeast Brazil, a city that recently experienced a large-scale geotechnical disaster and a sudden increase in CDW generation. The analysis is guided by the question: Which factors most strongly constrain the development of the CDW market in Maceió, and how do they interact? A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining survey data analyzed through the Relative Importance Index (RII), descriptive statistics, and ANOVA with semi-structured interviews involving professionals from construction, waste management, and public agencies. The results reveal five interconnected groups of barriers. The most influential are the absence of effective public policies (RII = 0.89), lack of fiscal incentives for recycling (RII = 0.88), fragmented legislation (RII = 0.87), and the systematic devaluation of recycled materials (RII = 0.85). Environmental constraints linked to land subsidence (RII = 0.90) further intensify market instability. Together, these findings show that CDW commercialization is shaped by interacting regulatory, economic, and cultural factors, underscoring the need for coordinated policy, fiscal, and governance responses in vulnerable urban contexts.