Characterization of the Generation Rate of Demolition Waste in Shenzhen, a Mega City of China

The projection of generation of C&D waste is the first process in conducting management. As the basis of the projection, however, there is a lack of data of the demolition waste generation rates (DWGRs) in previous studies and opening sources. This study is aim at providing detailed information of DWGRs by conducting an on-site investigation in 78 demolition projects in Shenzhen city of China, which covers four specific building types and three structure types. The results reveal that the DWGRs range from 877.5 to 2337.5 kg/m2, and the average amount is 1360.2 kg/m2, with the standard deviation of 310.5. By analyzing the mean values, concrete is undoubtedly the dominant part among various waste materials, which is 660.1 kg/m2, followed by brick/block (287.2 kg/m2), ceramic (139.1 kg/m2) and mortar (105.1 kg/m2). Those four inert wastes contribute 88 % to the total weight of demolition waste generated in 1 m2 demolition work. Based on the DWGRs derived from the research, the differences of DWGRs among several building types and structure types are also discussed. Specifically for residential, industrial, commercial and public building, the DWGRs vary from 1304.0 to 1919.5 kg/m2, from 1065.4 to 1448.5 kg/m2, from 1310.2 to 1627.4 kg/m2 and from 1131.7 to 1605.3 kg/m2, respectively. For different structures, the DWGR of brick-concrete structure lies between 1314.9 and 1553.5 kg/m2, frame structure lies between 1079.8 and 1490.3 kg/m2 and frame-shear system lies between 1293.0 and 1696.9 kg/m2. What’s more, a comparative analysis of present DWGRs with findings in previous studies is also conducted. These results could work as the basis for the future studies regarding the generation of C&D waste, and they do add to the body of knowledge that is currently available for understanding the generation of demolition waste in China.