Determining potential end of service life demolition waste of residential houses in Canada

Construction and demolition (C & D) waste generation is identified as an environmental topic of concern globally. Canadian Construction Association (CCA), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and other researchers have identified wood waste as the key material to focus on in residential housing construction. With this point in mind, it seems prudent to identify waste generation at the demolition stage of houses. Two low-rise single-family detached houses were evaluated to determine their potential demolition waste generation. Wood, concrete, masonry (brick), gypsum and asphalt waste generation was measured, quantified and ranked accordingly. The results determined concrete had the highest waste generation potential representing around 60% (kg) at the demolition stage. The findings are contrary to the wood waste focus in residential construction. Therefore, the findings suggest more focus needs to be placed on concrete use in residential construction moving forward, as much as wood has been in most recent decades.