Construction and Demolition Waste and Its Management Challenges in Iran: A Case Study in Tabriz City

Background: The management of construction and demolition (C&D) waste is among the fastest-growing concerns in Iran. Moreover, the basic prerequisites for the effective performance of every waste management program are the accessibility of adequate and precise data on characteristics and its current management condition. Objectives: Estimating the amount of C&D waste in Tabriz metropolitan city (Iran) was one of the key aims of the current study. Another objective of this study was to evaluate of C&D waste handling and their final disposal. Methods: The C&D waste generation rate was estimated according to the waste weight per area of construction and demolition in Tabriz. Then the C&D waste management condition was assessed using a checklist, visiting the disposal site, intervening authorities, and analyzing scientific databases. Results: The amount of C&D waste generation rate in the Tabriz city was estimated to be in the range of 167034 to 848480 ton/year or 0.114 to 0.534 ton/year per capita and 2.267 ton/m2 of demolition. In this area, like most other parts of the country, no scientific and systematic program was observed for source reduction (reduce, reuse, and recycle of the C&D waste). Due to the non-availability of any standard disposal site, all the C&D waste (except for some recycled items such as metals) were deposited at the nearest distance from the city in public lands, waterways, valleys, roadsides and so on. Conclusions: According to the findings there is a great urgent need for applying specific practical policies, rules, and regulations for source reduction (reduce, reuse, and recycle (3R)) of C&D waste. Moreover, a central disposal site should be allocated to dispose of the remaining C&D waste according to the environmental and health considerations.