The improper disposal of construction and demolition waste (CDW) poses significant environmental and infrastructural challenges in India. This study investigates the barriers and opportunities associated with promoting the use of recycled secondary materials (SM). A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining quantitative analysis of closed-ended survey responses with thematic analysis of open-ended responses. Data were collected from 73 stakeholders in Chennai, and findings were validated through triangulation. Results indicate low awareness of local waste management regulations (14%) and non-compliant waste disposal practices (> 60% disposing on roadsides, waterbodies and open lands). Quality emerged as the most critical factor influencing the purchase of SM (14.11/15), while reluctance to adopt (85% not willing) stemmed from concerns over procurement distance, costs, and the absence of client demand. Qualitative findings further reinforced quality concerns as the dominant barrier. To address these challenges, the study highlights the need for strong policy support (fiscal incentives), targeted marketing strategies (decentralised supply, diversified products), and improved industrial readiness (stakeholder awareness). Overall, the research identifies key factors enabling circular transition by emphasising consumer insights for SM market development and revealing non-compliant behaviours. Findings align with SDGs (9,11,12) and provide actionable insights for policymakers and recycling businesses.
The datasets used during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
World Population by Country. 68% of the world population projected to live in urban areas by 2050, says UN. (2024). https://worldpopulationreview.com/. (Live). (2024).
HaitherAli, H. & Anjali, G. Circular economy in construction Sector—a guideline for policy makers from global perspective. Circ. Econ. Sustain. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-023-00321-x (2023).
Kabirifar, K., Mojtahedi, M., Wang, C., Tam, V. W. Y. & C. & Effective construction and demolition waste management assessment through waste management hierarchy; a case of Australian large construction companies. J. Clean. Prod. 312, 127790. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127790 (2021).
Chen, Z. et al. Construction, renovation, and demolition waste in landfill: a review of waste characteristics, environmental impacts, and mitigation measures. Environ. Sci. Pollut Res. 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20479-5 (2022).
Tanthanawiwat, K., Gheewala, S. H., Nilsalab, P., Schoch, M. & Silalertruksa, T. Environmental sustainability and cost performances of construction and demolition waste management scenarios: A case study of timber and concrete houses in Thailand. J. Clean. Prod. 436, 140652 (2024).
Sharma, N., Kalbar, P. P. & Salman, M. Global review of circular economy and life cycle thinking in Building demolition waste management: A way ahead for India. Build. Environ. 222, 109413 (2022).
Bao, Z. Developing circularity of construction waste for a sustainable built environment in emerging economies: new insights from China. Dev. Built Environ. 13, 100107 (2023).
Jain, S., Singhal, S. & Jain, N. Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) in india: generation rate and implications of C&DW recycling. Int. J. Constr. Manag. 21, 1–10 (2018).
Priyadarshini, P. & Abhilash, P. C. Circular economy practices within energy and waste management sectors of india: A meta-analysis. Bioresour Technol. 304, 123018 (2020).
CSE. India drowns in construction, demolition debris. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/india-drowns-in-construction-demolition-debris-65110
Ram, V. G., Kishore, K. C. & Kalidindi, S. N. Environmental benefits of construction and demolition debris recycling: evidence from an Indian case study using life cycle assessment. J. Clean. Prod. 255, 120258 (2020).
Su, Y. et al. Decision-making interaction among stakeholders regarding construction and demolition waste recycling under different power structures. Waste Manag. 131, 491–502 (2021).
Pan, X., Xie, Q. & Feng, Y. Designing recycling networks for construction and demolition waste based on reserve logistics research field. J. Clean. Prod. 260, 120841 (2020).
Kabirifar, K., Mojtahedi, M., Wang, C. & Tam, V. Construction and demolition waste management contributing factors coupled with reduce, reuse, and recycle strategies for effective waste management: A review. J. Clean. Prod. 263, 121265 (2020).
Shooshtarian, S. et al. Utilisation of certification schemes for recycled products in the Australian Building and construction sector. Bus. Strategy Environ. 33 (3), 1759–1777 (2023).
Shooshtarian, S. et al. Analysis of factors influencing the creation and stimulation of the Australian market for recycled construction and demolition waste products. Sustain. Prod. Consum. 34, 163–176 (2022).
Shooshtarian, S., Caldera, S., Maqsood, T. & Ryley, T. Using recycled construction and demolition waste products: A review of stakeholders’ Perceptions, Decisions, and motivations. Recycling 5, 31 (2020).
Shooshtarian, S., Maqsood, T., Caldera, S. & Ryley, T. The impact of regulations on construction and demolition waste market creation and stimulation: Australian stakeholders’ perception. IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 1101, 062012 (2022).
Hua, C., Liu, C., Chen, J., Yang, C. & Chen, L. Promoting construction and demolition waste recycling by using incentive policies in China. Environ. Sci. Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19536-w (2022).
C, J. J., Joseph, T. M. & Abu-Lebdeh, G. Perception of the Use of Recycled Construction Waste in the UAE’s Construction Industry. in IEEE International Conference on Technology Management, Operations and Decisions (ICTMOD) 1–6 (2024).
Delvoie, S., Zhao, Z., Michel, F. & Courard, L. Market analysis of recycled sands and aggregates in NorthWest europe: drivers and barriers. IOP Conf. Ser. Earth Environ. Sci. 225, 012055 (2019).
Chellappa, V., Gunasekaran, A. L. & Ramakrishnan, K. Factors influencing construction waste generation: perspectives from India. Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. - Waste Resour. Manag. 177, 90–99 (2023).
Kolaventi, S. S., Tezeswi, T. & Siva Kumar, M. An assessment of construction waste management in india: A statistical approach. Waste Manag Res. 38, 444–459 (2020).
Nishaant, H. & Sudhakumar, J. Identifying and analysing critical factors in construction resource waste management – Indian perspective. Int. J. Environ. Waste Manag. 37, 291–326 (2025).
Chandrasekaran, H., Subramani, S. E., Partheeban, P. & Sridhar, M. IoT- and GIS-Based environmental impact assessment of construction and demolition waste dump yards. Sustainability 15, 13013 (2023).
Devaki, H. & Shanmugapriya, S. Site suitability analysis for locating construction and demolition waste transfer station: an Indian case study. Environ. Monit. Assess. 195, 1–12 (2023).
Jain, S., Singhal, S. & Pandey, S. Environmental life cycle assessment of construction and demolition waste recycling: A case of urban India. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 155, 104642 (2020).
Kamma, R. C. & Jha, K. N. Evaluation of construction and demolition waste management practices using environmental and economic impact assessment. Eng Constr. Archit. Manag 1–22 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-07-2023-0718 https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-07-2023-0718
Bhavsar, V., Sridharan, S. R. & Sudarsan, J. S. Barriers to circular economy practices during construction and demolition waste management in an emerging economy. Resour. Conserv. Recycl Adv. 20, 200198 (2023).
Devaki, H. & Shanmugapriya, S. Investigating barriers to sustainable management of construction and demolition waste: the case of India. J. Mater. Cycles Waste Manag. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-023-01631-w (2023).
Jain, S., Singhal, S., Jain, N. K. & Bhaskar, K. Construction and demolition waste recycling: investigating the role of theory of planned behavior, institutional pressures and environmental consciousness. J. Clean. Prod. 263, 121405 (2020).
Kolaventi, S. S. & Tejeswi, P. Siva Kumar., M.V.N. Implementing construction waste management in india: an extended theory of planned behaviour approach. Environ. Technol. Innov. 27, 102401 (2022).
Arif, M., Bendi, D., Toma-Sabbagh, T. & Sutrisna, M. Construction waste management in india: an exploratory study. Constr. Innov. 12, 133–155 (2012).
Faruqi, M. H. Z. & Siddiqui, F. Z. A mini review of construction and demolition waste management in India. Waste Manag Res. 38, 708–716 (2020).
HaitherAli, H., G, Anjali & Sustainable urban development: evaluating the potential of mineral-based construction and demolition waste recycling in emerging economies. Sustain. Futur. 7, 100179 (2024).
Sheth, J. N., Jain, V. & Ambika, A. The growing importance of customer-centric support services for improving customer experience. J. Bus. Res. 164, 113943 (2023).
Nehdi, M. L., Marani, A. & Zhang, L. Is net-zero feasible: systematic review of cement and concrete decarbonization technologies. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 191, 114169 (2024).
Hosseinnezhad, H., Sürmelioğlu, S., Çakır, Ö. A. & Ramyar, K. A novel method for characterization of recycled concrete aggregates: computerized microtomography. J. Build. Eng. 76, 107321 (2023).
Alsheyab, M. A. T. Recycling of construction and demolition waste and its impact on climate change and sustainable development. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19, 2129–2138 (2022).
He, L. & Yuan, H. Investigation of construction waste recycling decisions by considering consumers’ quality perceptions. J. Clean. Prod. 259, 120928 (2020).
Ding, Z., Nie, W. & Wu, H. Investigating the connection between stakeholders’ purchase intention and perceived value of construction and demolition waste recycled products. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 24, 9285–9303 (2022).
Ma, M., Tam, V. W. Y., Le, K. N. & Li, W. Challenges in current construction and demolition waste recycling: A China study. Waste Manag. 118, 610–625 (2020).
Ma, M., Tam, V. W. Y., Le, K. N. & Osei-Kyei, R. Factors affecting the price of recycled concrete: A critical review. J. Build. Eng. 46, 103743 (2022).
Jin, R., Li, B., Zhou, T., Wanatowski, D. & Piroozfar, P. An empirical study of perceptions towards construction and demolition waste recycling and reuse in China. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 126, 86–98 (2017).
Gunaratne, T., Krook, J. & Andersson, H. Market prospects of secondary construction aggregates in Sweden. J Clean. Prod 360, 132155 (2022).
Ghaffar, S. H., Burman, M. & Braimah, N. Pathways to circular construction: an integrated management of construction and demolition waste for resource recovery. J. Clean. Prod. 244, 118710 (2020).
Bonifazi, G., Grosso, C., Palmieri, R. & Serranti, S. Current trends and challenges in construction and demolition waste recycling. Curr. Opin. Green. Sustain. Chem. 53, 101032 (2025).
Bolden, J., Abu-Lebdeh, T., Fini, E., UTILIZATION OF RECYCLED & AND WASTE MATERIALS IN VARIOUS CONSTRUCTION APPLICATIONS. Am. J. Environ. Sci. 9, 14–24 (2013).
Tam, V. W. Y., Kotrayothar, D. & Loo, Y. C. On the prevailing construction waste recycling practices: a South East Queensland study. Waste Manag Res. 27, 167–174 (2009).
Oyedele, L. O., Ajayi, S. O. & Kadiri, K. O. Use of recycled products in UK construction industry: an empirical investigation into critical impediments and strategies for improvement. Resour. Conserv. Recycl. 93, 23–31 (2014).
Mak, T. M. W. et al. Extended theory of planned behaviour for promoting construction waste recycling in Hong Kong. Waste Manag. 83, 161–170 (2019).
Otasowie, K., Aigbavboa, C., Oke, A., Adekunle, P. & Liphadzi, M. Constraints to Clients’ Acceptance of Recycled Construction Materials in Developing Nations: Professionals’ Perspective. Eng. Proc. 76, 60 (2024).
Su, Y., Xu, Y., Bao, Z., Ng, S. T. & Gao, Q. Stakeholder interactions of government intervention in construction and demolition waste recycling market: A game theory approach. Dev. Built Environ. 18, 100391 (2024).
Verhagen, T. J., Sauer, M. L., van der Voet, E. & Sprecher, B. Matching demolition and construction material Flows, an urban mining case study. Sustainability 13, 653 (2021).
Ghisellini, P. & Ulgiati, S. Circular economy transition in Italy. Achievements, perspectives and constraints. J. Clean. Prod. 243, 118360 (2020).
MoEF&CC, Construction & Rules, D. W. M. Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (2016).
Adak, B. No takers for recycled goods, C&D plants in Delhi run into losses. Hindustan Times (2019). https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/no-takers-for-recycled-goods-c-d-plants-in-delhi-run-into-losses/story-fcqxkniK32f5hznCbDxF3K.html
Sharma, N., Das, D., Kalbar, P. P. & Salman, M. Exploring the feasibility of construction and demolition waste recycling in an emerging Indian City using a dynamic modeling approach. J. Ind. Ecol. 29, 1632–1650 (2025).
Cheung, A. K. L. Structured questionnaires. In Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research (ed. Michalos, A. C.) 6399–6402 (Springer Netherlands, 2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2888.
Palinkas, L. A. et al. Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Adm. Policy Ment Health. 42, 533–544 (2015).
Mason, M. Sample size and saturation in PhD studies using qualitative interviews. Forum Qual. Sozialforschung Forum Qual. Soc. Res 11(3), Art.8 (2010).
Ajayi, S. O. & Oyedele, L. O. Waste-efficient materials procurement for construction projects: A structural equation modelling of critical success factors. Waste Manag. 75, 60–69 (2018).
Dragan, I. M. & Isaic-Maniu, A. An original solution for completing research through snowball Sampling—Handicapping method. Adv. Appl. Sociol. 12, 729–746 (2022).
Holt, G. D. Asking questions, analysing answers: relative importance revisited. Constr. Innov. 14, 2–16 (2014).
Naeem, M., Ozuem, W., Howell, K. & Ranfagni, S. A. Step-by-Step process of thematic analysis to develop a conceptual model in qualitative research. Int. J. Qual. Methods. 22, 16094069231205789 (2023).
Carter, N., Bryant-Lukosius, D., DiCenso, A., Blythe, J. & Neville, A. J. The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Oncol. Nurs. Forum. 41, 545–547 (2014).
Chaitanya, S. K. Realtors dump debris to ‘reclaim’ Chennai’s Pallikaranai Ramsar site. The New Indian Express (2023). https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2023/Mar/16/realtors-dump-debris-to-reclaim-chennais-pallikaranai-ramsar-site-2556798.html
Köhler, J., Nielsen, F., Verstermark, F., Thuesen, C. & J. & Recirculation of construction and demolition waste: A case study of Danish producers and demolishers. Clean. Mater. 14, 100276 (2024).
Prasad, V. & Arashpour, M. Real-time instance segmentation of recyclables from highly cluttered construction and demolition waste streams. J. Environ. Manage. 372, 123365 (2024).
Mhatre, P., Gedam, V. V. & Unnikrishnan, S. Material circularity potential for construction materials – The case of transportation infrastructure in India. Resour. Policy. 74, 102446 (2021).
Demestichas, K. & Daskalakis, E. Information and communication technology solutions for the circular economy. Sustainability 12, 7272 (2020).
Cui, C., Liu, Y., Hope, A. & Wang, J. Review of studies on the public–private partnerships (PPP) for infrastructure projects. Int. J. Proj Manag. 36, 773–794 (2018).
Donyavi, S., Flanagan, R., Assadi-Langroudi, A. & Parisi, L. Understanding the complexity of materials procurement in construction projects to build a conceptual framework influencing supply chain management of MSMEs. Int. J. Constr. Manag. 24, 177–186 (2024).
Ma, W. & Hao, J. L. Enhancing a circular economy for construction and demolition waste management in china: A stakeholder engagement and key strategy approach. J. Clean. Prod. 450, 141763 (2024).
Ram, V. G., Kalidindi, S. & Nanduru, H. K. Influence of institutional arrangements on on-site recycling and reuse practices of C&D waste. (2017).
Wu, Z., Yu, A. T. W. & Poon, C. S. Promoting effective construction and demolition waste management towards sustainable development: A case study of Hong Kong. Sustain. Dev. 28, 1713–1724 (2020).
Akhtar, A. & Sarmah, A. K. Accepted Manuscript Construction and demolition waste generation and properties of recycled aggregate concrete: A global perspective. (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.085 doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.085.
Aslam, M. S., Huang, B. & Cui, L. Review of construction and demolition waste management in China and USA. Journal of Environmental Management vol. 264 Preprint at (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110445
Lu, W., Webster, C., Chen, K., Zhang, X. & Chen, X. Computational Building information modelling for construction waste management: moving from rhetoric to reality. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 68, 587–595 (2017).
Yu, A. T. W., Wong, I., Wu, Z. & Poon, C. S. Strategies for effective waste reduction and management of Building construction projects in highly urbanized Cities—A case study of Hong Kong. Buildings 11, 214 (2021).
Kessal, O., Belgraa, L., Djebri, N., Salah, S. & Allal, Z. Improvement of the mechanical behavior of an environmental concrete based on demolished concrete waste and silica fume. Civ. Eng. J. 8, 238–250 (2022).
Duening, T. N., Hisrich, R. D. & Lechter, M. A. Chapter 10 - Marketing and Selling Your Products. in Technology Entrepreneurship (Second Edition) (eds Duening, T. N., Hisrich, R. D. & Lechter, M. A.) 231–249Academic Press, Boston, (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-420175-0.00010-5
Chang, S. C. & Wang, C. F. The effect of product diversification strategies on the relationship between international diversification and firm performance. J. World Bus. 42, 61–79 (2007).
Cengiz, A. E., Aytekin, O., Ozdemir, I., Kusan, H. & Cabuk, A. A Multi-criteria decision model for construction material supplier selection. Procedia Eng. 196, 294–301 (2017).
Shooshtarian, S., Caldera, S., Maqsood, T., Ryley, T. & Khalfan, M. An investigation into challenges and opportunities in the Australian construction and demolition waste management system. Eng. Constr. Archit. Manag. 29, 4313–4330 (2021).
MoEF&CC, Construction & Rules, D. W. M. 2025 Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (2024).
We thank Mr. Muralidharan Nanda Govindarajulu, Chairman, Indian Concrete Institute, and Mr. Mohan Ramanathan, Founder-Chairman, Indian Demolition Association, for their exceptional mentoring and insights into the C&D waste sector, which greatly enhanced our understanding of its technical and behavioural challenges in India.
Open access funding provided by Vellore Institute of Technology.
Hammadhu HaitherAli: Conceptualization, data collection, analysis, visualization and writing. Salman Shooshtarian: Supervision and review. Anjali Gopakumar: Review and edit the manuscript and proofreading.
The authors declare no competing interests.
Institutional Ethical Committee for Studies on Human Subjects (IECH), Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai [VIT/IECH/CC/2025/89].
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
HaitherAli, H., Shooshtarian, S. & Gopakumar, A. Exploring waste disposal attitudes and market strategies for recycled construction and demolition waste in India. Sci Rep (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32996-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-32996-7