Estimation and environmental impact assessment of construction and demolition waste in northern Cyprus: a case study

Sustainable management of construction and demolition waste is very important on islands where resources are limited and transportation is not feasible. A case study was conducted for the first time to estimate the generation rate, composition of construction and demolition waste and the potential savings if construction and demolition waste could be effectively recycled in the northern part of Cyprus. The records on construction permits and the responses of the contractors obtained via a survey were used. The construction waste generation varied in different regions with the maximum amount of 21 × 10⁶ kg in Famagusta, while the construction and demolition waste index was found to be the largest at 0.74 ton/capita/year in Iskele. Concrete (33%) and brick (31%) formed the two largest weight fraction of construction and demolition waste composition. Steel was recycled by 73% of the contractors while reuse/recovery activities varied up to 57% for gravel. Environmental benefit and the legal enforcement were the first two important factors motivating the contractors to source separate and recycle construction and demolition waste. Considering a 90% recycling scenario for general steel, 91.6 × 10⁶ MJ energy and 8.29 × 10⁶ kg CO₂ emission could be saved. With the same scenario for aggregates, relatively smaller, 0.63 × 10⁶ MJ energy and 0.08 × 10⁶ CO₂ emission were to be saved. An effective recycling system for construction and demolition waste can save considerable amounts of energy and resources while reducing environmental pollution.