Availability and processing of recycled aggregates within the construction and demolition supply chain: A review

As a response to the great disparity in the recycled aggregates (RA) evaluated in most investigations and those sourced from recycling plants, this paper presents an overview on the subject and seeks to provide information on the present waste issue in the construction life cycle. Several factors related to the wider recognition and use of RA in construction are also described and analysed in this paper, including the main barriers to reuse and recycling, economic and environmental impacts, the choice of demolition methodology, the recycling procedure and certification of the final product. Increased governmental intervention, with ensuing strict legislation and comprehensive standardization, have been found to be key drivers for a greater pro-active engagement of construction and demolition related entities. Furthermore, with recent developments on the classification of RA, which can facilitate certification, it will become increasingly easy to increase the stakeholders confidence on the products' quality and resulting materials' predictable performance, consequently increasing demand for a technically feasible and potentially more economical substitute to their natural counterparts.