Construction and Demolition Waste Management Actions and Potential Benefits: A Perspective from Trinidad and Tobago

A study was conducted to identify the primary sources and types of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, determine current and potential management actions which can be applied to the respective wastes, and assess the potential benefits, barriers, and recommendations towards the implementation of a C&D waste management plan in Trinidad and Tobago—a Caribbean Small Island Developing State (SIDS). This process is lacking locally, and will benefit decision makers and other stakeholders in proper management of C&D waste. Currently, the primary method of waste disposal is landfilling. The structured questionnaire survey method was used to collect the data, and data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA with appropriate post-tests. Results showed that wood, plastic, cardboard, gypsum board, and steel were identified as the most wasted materials on site, with the top sources being attributable to design, operations, and residual causes. It can be inferred that if materials are not being reused, they are being landfilled, as these were the two primary waste treatment methods identified as being used for all materials. If waste management practice gathers enough support from all respective authorities and stakeholders, the general consensus is that all materials listed have recycle/reuse potential in Trinidad and Tobago. The top agreed upon advantages of C&D waste management were all directly related to sustainability, and the barriers to implementation identified were related to general lack of support from respective stakeholders and authorities. From the overall results, it can be concluded that there is not enough evidence to suggest that larger contractors have more positive attitudes and behaviors towards C&D waste management. Although the data are local, the findings from this research can be used as guidelines by the other Caribbean SIDS nations in formulating/comparing their own waste management practices.

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