scholarly journals Capacity gaps in post disaster construction & demolition waste management

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 446-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayani Karunasena ◽  
Dilanthi Amaratunga

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the identification of the existing capacities of post disaster C & D waste management in developing countries, with a special emphasis on Sri Lanka to determine the capacity gaps and related influencing factors. Design/methodology/approach – Multiple case studies and expert interviews were conducted to gather primary information on the existing capacities of disaster C & D waste management. Three case studies, including 15 individuals and six experts representing government, non-government institutions and others, were selected. Findings – The results revealed the existing capacities, capacity gaps and influencing factors for post disaster C & D waste management in the areas of skills and confidence building, links and collaborations, continuity and sustainability, research and development, communication and coordination, organisational implementation and investment in infrastructure. Research limitations/implications – This study limited disaster C & D waste to debris generated from totally or partially damaged buildings and infrastructure as a direct impact of natural disasters or from demolished buildings and infrastructure at rehabilitation or at early recovery stages. Originality/value – The research enabled an analysis of existing capacities and identified capacity gaps in post disaster C & D waste management with influencing factors developing countries.

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayani Karunasena ◽  
Dilanthi Amaratunga

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical framework for capacity building in post disaster construction and demolition (C & D) waste management at a national level to address the identified capacity gaps in managing disaster waste resulting from natural hazards. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered through pilot interviews, case studies and expert opinion surveys representing government, non-government and other sector organisations involved in post disaster waste management. Findings – The study revealed unavailability of a single point of responsibility and provision for disaster waste in existing policies and capacity constraints in prevailing peace time solid waste management practices which were identified as major capacity gaps. Establishment of a regulatory body and enforceable rules and regulations with necessary levels of capacities was identified and presented in a theoretical framework comprising of seven identified areas for capacity building in post disaster waste management. Research limitations/implications – This study is limited to disaster C & D waste as debris generated from totally or partially damaged buildings and infrastructure as a direct impact of natural hazards or from demolished buildings and infrastructure at rehabilitation or early recovery stages. Waste generated during reconstruction phase of post disaster management cycle is not considered as disaster C & D waste for purposes of this study. Originality/value – The research enabled analysis of existing capacities and presents approaches for capacity building for identified gaps in post disaster C & D waste management to attain sustainable post disaster waste management for future resilience.


2009 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayani Karunasena ◽  
Dilanthi Amaratunga ◽  
Richard Haigh ◽  
Irene Lill

Disasters cause substantial damage around the world. This causes serious environmental and economic burden on normal living conditions, reconstruction and general waste collection processes. Within this context, waste management has emerged as a critical issue in responding to a disaster. Thus, this paper addresses post disaster waste management strategies adopted in developing countries and applicability of best global practices in respect of challenges encountered. Comprehensive literature review and field survey among national level institutes in Sri Lanka were conducted to gather information and semi‐structured interviews were used as a method of data collection. The findings revealed that strategies, issues and challenges are varying according to type of disaster, magnitude, location, country etc. Further, poor implementation of prevailing rules and regulations; poor standards of local expertise and capacities, inadequate funds, lack of communication and coordination are identified as key issues encountered. Santruka Stichines nelaimes visame pasaulyje pridaro daug žalos. Tai labai pasunkina aplinkosaugine ir ekonomine situacija iprastomis gyvenimo salygomis, atstatant aplinka ir vykdant bendruosius atlieku rinkimo procesus. Šiame kontekste atlieku tvarkymas išryškejo kaip esmine problema, reaguojant i stichine nelaime. Taigi šiame darbe nagrinejamos atlieku tvarkymo po stichiniu nelaimiu strategijos, taikomos besivystančiose šalyse, ir geriausiu pasauliniu praktiku taikymas, imantis kilusiu iššūkiu. Siekiant surinkti informacija, išsamiai apžvelgta literatūra ir tiesiogiai ištirtos Šri Lankos valstybines institucijos, o duomenims rinkti pasitelktas pusiau struktūriniu interviu metodas. Iš rezultatu aišku, kad strategijos, problemos ir iššūkiai skiriasi priklausomai nuo stichines nelaimes pobūdžio, masto, vietos, valstybes ir pan. Be to, nustatyta, kad pagrindines problemos yra prastas visuotiniu taisykliu ir reglamentu taikymas, prasti vietines patirties standartai ir menkos galimybes, lešu trūkumas, komunikacijos ir koordinavimo trūkumas.


2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayani Karunasena ◽  
Dilanthi Amaratunga ◽  
Richard Haigh

The increasing nature of impacts from disasters has made post disaster management a key area of concern. The management of disaster waste is revealed as an area of least concern yet it presents momentous challenges for those with inadequate capacities due to the large volume and hazardous constituents created, specifically in developing countries. This paper aims to report the findings of post-disaster waste management strategies and challenges identified in Sri Lanka. Data was gathered through interviews with government and non-government organisations at national and local level. The lack of an established hierarchy and single point of responsibility, mandatory and enforceable rules and regulations; inadequate capacity and funds, and lack of communication and coordination were identified as gaps in post-disaster waste management. This enabled the identification of post-disaster waste management strategies, highlighting gaps that need to be addressed for effective C&D debris management for Sri Lanka's future resilience.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Yeboah-Assiamah ◽  
Kwame Asamoah ◽  
Thomas Agyekum Kyeremeh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine empirical studies on public-private partnerships (PPPs) and solid waste management (SWM) in Ghana and India to synthesize the “crucial lessons” for urban managers and policy makers in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of empirical studies was carried out, the search process comprised four categories of keywords combined differently across three main search engines in order to obtain a pool of more relevant literature on the study. Sorting for relevance was done at various levels; retrospective content analysis of relevant empirical studies on PPP and SWM in Ghana and India was subsequently carried out to draw lessons and policy suggestions. Findings PPPs have mainly been impressive in coverage of waste collection in the Ghanaian context, whilst in India, emphasis has been on injection of technology and effectiveness into SWM. It is also observed that in both cases the PPP processes have lacked adequate openness, transparency and sufficient stakeholder engagement. In the Ghana cases, mostly, urban authorities hardly pay attention to details in the partnership deed and also ignore monitoring of private partners. Poorly performed PPPs do occur when one of the partners relent on his role which could have a cascading effect on other actors. Practical implications Whilst PPP is a strong candidate to address the SWM challenges of urban centers in developing countries, this does not necessarily come about by joining the bandwagon. Merely entering into a partnership deed with private waste management companies without paying due attention to details of the contract will usher urban managers into a state of schizophrenia. The paper presents five key lessons to inform policy and practice. Originality/value The paper draws lessons from multiple cases of PPPs in Ghana and India by synchronizing lessons adaptable to city authorities and policy makers in developing countries.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-94
Author(s):  
Toshiko Kikkawa ◽  
◽  
Seiji Suzuki ◽  

In this paper, the authors explore some issues related to adjusting risk communication tools to localities in developing countries, i.e., the localization of risk communication tools. We introduce two anecdotal cases using simulation games as tools for risk communication. First, the “Garbage” game (Thiagarajan, 1991) was introduced to participants in order to improve their awareness of second-order social dilemmas caused by waste management. The cheating nature involved in its rules for achieving the goal was refused by some participants for reasons of religious belief in which the cheating of people is prohibited by religious tenets. The second case was froman elementary school for girls in Pakistan, where religious beliefs play an important role in education. In order to implement risk education in developing countries, it is thus important to give considerations to culture, especially to religious beliefs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal El Baz ◽  
Regina Frei ◽  
Issam Laguir

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate reverse supply chain (RSC) practices and their obstacles using case studies of Moroccan companies. The authors present the main findings of case studies’ analysis along with a discussion of an RSC framework for further directions of research. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted and semi-structured interviews with Moroccan companies were conducted using an interview guide. Findings The authors present an RSC model that encompasses remanufacturing, refurbishing and disposal processes. The authors believe that this model would constitute a promising framework for further research. The findings show that the successful implementation of RSC depends on many factors, but the company’s attitude (proactive or conservative) is one of the most critical determinants in RSC initiatives. Furthermore, the results of the case studies indicate two types of inhibitors: external and internal. These findings confirm the results of previous research on environmental sustainability obstacles in general and RSC obstacles in particular. Research limitations/implications This study has some limitations that provide future research opportunities. Because this study is qualitative, further statistical support is needed to justify wider generalisation of its findings. Further studies might therefore investigate RSC practices in developing countries other than Morocco to increase the external validity of the results. Practical implications The findings can help firms to gain better understanding of their RSC and particularly the link between forward and RSCs. Consequently, companies can upgrade their business models to better control their RSC activities. Originality/value The relevant literature about RSC practices has mainly targeted manufacturing sectors in developed countries, and few studies have been conducted on developing countries. Research on RSC practices in developing countries in general and African countries in particular is sparse. This is one of the first articles written to address this gap by investigating RSC practices in Morocco.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Eghbali-Zarch ◽  
Reza Tavakkoli-Moghaddam ◽  
Kazem Dehghan-Sanej ◽  
Amin Kaboli

PurposeThe construction industry is a key driver of economic growth. However, the adverse impacts of construction and demolition waste (CDW) resulted from the active construction projects on the economy, environment, public health and social life necessitates an appropriate control and management of this waste stream. Developing and promoting the construction and demolition waste management (CDWM) hierarchy program at the strategic level is essential.Design/methodology/approachThis study aims to propose a hybrid decision model that hybridizes the Integrated Determination of Objective Criteria Weights (IDOCRIW) and weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) under a fuzzy environment.FindingsThe proposed method ranks the potential strategic alternatives by the sustainable development criteria to improve the performance of CDWM. As indicated in the results, the fuzzy approach in the decision-making process enables the transformation of linguistic variables into fuzzy numbers that show uncertainty and ambiguity in real-world systems. Moreover, the close correlation between the final ranking of the proposed methodology and the average priority order of the strategic alternatives obtained by five different multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods implies the validity of the model performance.Practical implicationsThis proposed model is an appropriate tool to effectively decide on the development of CDWM from a strategic point of view. It aims to establish an MCDM framework for the evaluation of effective strategies for CDWM according to the indices of sustainable development. Implementing proper operational plans and conducting research in CDWM has the highest priority, and enacting new and more stringent laws, rules and regulations against the production of CDW has secondary priority. This study contributes to the field by optimizing the CDWM by applying the top-priority strategies resulted from the proposed fuzzy hybrid MCDM methodology by the decision-makers or policy-makers to reach the best managerial strategic plan.Originality/valueIn the proposed methodology, the IDOCRIW technique is utilized and updated with the triangular fuzzy numbers for the first time in the literature to derive the weights of sustainable development criteria. The fuzzy WASPAS method is utilized for evaluation and providing a final ranking of the strategic alternatives.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 867-885
Author(s):  
Miguel Afonso Sellitto ◽  
Francieli Aparecida de Almeida

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present possible strategic actions that aim to recover the value still remaining in industrial waste. Design/methodology/approach The research method is a multiple case study. The sample included six Brazilian companies of the footwear, metal-mechanics, pulp and paper, beverages, chemical and food industries. The study investigated the production process, waste generation, internal reuse, the destination of unused waste, difficulties and strategic challenges. Findings Possible strategies to recover the value remaining in industrial waste are increasing the internal reuse, developing new routes to other industries, reducing the waste generation, increasing the destination to cooperatives or recycling companies, which require studies to understand the legislation and agility in licensing and reducing the logistical cost of the destination. Research limitations/implications The study relies on six case studies. Further research shall encompass an entire industry, starting with hypotheses derived from the cases. Practical implications The main barriers observed for reuse and recycling are uncertainties and ambiguities in the interpretation of legislation, the difficulty for the environmental licensing for recycling operations, excessive logistics costs for exploration opportunities and the lack of research to reduce the waste generation and to increase the internal reuse. Social implications Waste managed by scavengers’ cooperatives can offer jobs to the people of vulnerable communities. Originality/value The study offers robust hypotheses to be tested in a survey on the capacity of a waste management strategy to create competitive advantage in the industry. The study establishes a relationship between waste management and three competitive enablers, compliance, corporate image and green market.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 3189-3213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soo Yong Kim ◽  
Minh V. Nguyen ◽  
Van Truong Luu

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to develop a performance evaluation framework for construction and demolition waste management (CDWM); second, to investigate feasible and effective strategies to improve the CDWM performance.Design/methodology/approachA review of the literature highlighted a lack of comprehensive research to evaluate CDWM performance of key project stakeholders, like owners, contractors and consultants. After the identification of 22 performance variables through a pilot study, a first questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the views of respondents toward CDWM performance. The 132 responses were analyzed using factor analysis to determine specific CDWM performance factors, which formed a conceptual performance evaluation framework of CDWM. Furthermore, a practical index (PI) was proposed to integrate the feasibility and effectiveness of CDWM strategies. The values of PI were employed to prioritize CDWM strategies from data collected in a second questionnaire survey.FindingsThe validated results from factor analysis revealed that the conceptual performance evaluation framework of CDWM consists of six factors; and the attitude toward CDWM emerged as the foremost critical factor. The prioritization of PI values indicated that raising CDWM awareness among construction stakeholders was the most feasible and effective strategy for CDWM.Originality/valueThis CDWM performance evaluation framework is one of the first to holistically evaluate CDWM from key stakeholder perspectives. In addition, the PI firstly enables quantitative integration of the feasibility and effectiveness of CDWM strategies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 280-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Coletto ◽  
Lieselot Bisschop

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the role and practices of informal waste pickers and the implications for waste management policy in urban contexts of the Global South. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative case studies were used, including interviews, observations and document analyses. The authors compared informal waste management in two cities of the Global South: Accra (Ghana) and Porto Alegre (Brazil). Findings The analysis points out that informal waste pickers play a crucial role in the implementation of waste policies in both cities, despite differing economic, social and institutional contexts. The study of the waste management system also points to multiple connections between informal and formal parts of the economy. Although the informal waste pickers are integral to the waste management systems, their economically disadvantaged position excludes them from the formal labour market. Faced with these challenges, they develop creative solutions to guarantee their livelihood and gain more effective collective voice. Research limitations/implications The comparison of two case studies, conducted about the same social phenomenon in two different economic, institutional and social contexts, has limited generalisability but is theoretically and practically important. Practical implications The findings are relevant to policy-makers who deal with urban waste management and for organisations who develop support actions for informal workers. Originality/value The authors draw on a comparison of qualitative case studies to explore the multidimensionality of the waste picker’s phenomenon. This paper sparks discussion among scholars and experts who study the informal economy from different perspectives, in this case bridging insights from sociology and victimology.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document