Andersson, R; Buser, M and Bosch, P (2019) Improving renovation waste management in Sweden: The role of the demolition company. In: Gorse, C and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 35th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2019, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK.
Abstract
New directives expressed by the European commission are targeting that 70 percent of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste should be recycled compared to the current ratio of 50 percent. The common assumption is that these goals are achievable by putting pressure on the construction industry. It is however unclear how these figures can be achieved. Even though there's been a strong focus on waste management activities within the construction management literature, especially during the design and construction phases, the actual work performed by subcontractors is often missing. In particular, the role of the demolition company responsible for both the handling of waste on site and its distribution afterwards is overlooked. This paper aims at identifying and analysing the challenges met by these companies to increase recycling. To do so, we build on institutional work which enables us to identify taken for granted institutionalized behaviour on a micro level. Drawing on qualitative research methods, we collect empirical material through semi-structured interviews with both site managers and demolition sub-contractors and observation of practices on site of renovation projects in the region of Gothenburg, Sweden. The result identifies how current institutions are maintained and reproduced, preventing the development of new practices and which actors may disrupt the existing institutions and thus enable change towards more sustainable waste management practices.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | barriers, construction and demolition waste, demolition company, institutional work, sustainable agenda. |
| Index terms: | Sweden, institutional work, qualitative research method, construction and demolition, design and construction, site manager, interview, drawing, recycling, waste management, sub-contractor, construction industry, subcontractor, renovation |
| Subjects: | renovation and retrofit, technical documentation, industry analysis, Geography, sociology, practitioner, waste management, contractual arrangements, research design and methodology, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Design Practice, Sustainability, Engineering Principles, Procurement, Geographical Context, Roles and Professions, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here