Closing the loop of the traditional linear economic model of take-make-dispose is primarily facilitated by integrating reverse logistics supply chains (RLSC) into the forward supply chain in the construction industry. Therefore, the notion of RLSC has attracted extensive attention from practitioners and scholars. Although a plethora of publications have evolved around the area of study in literature, none has investigated the evolution of the notion retrospectively in the context of the construction industry. This study aims to review the state-of-the-art literature on RLSC in the construction industry to provide a holistic basis for further knowledge development and dissemination. The study adopted VOSviewer bibliometric analysis software to review 76 articles from the Scopus database published between 2000–2023. Based on the analysis, there was a growing trend in the number of publications within this domain. Most articles were published in journals such as Sustainability, Waste Management & Research and Journal of Cleaner Production. Furthermore, institutions from Australia, Brazil and China were the most prolific in the study area. The study emphasised a few pivotal research hotspots in the research domain, such as demolition waste management, supply chain management and stakeholder management. This study contributes to the research and practice by providing a holistic view of the research done in RLSCs of DW over the last 24 years, helping practitioners and researchers better understand the global trends in the area and directions for future research.