Examining construction waste management policies in mainland China for potential performance improvements

Construction waste typically accounts for roughly 30% of municipal solid waste and thus poses a great challenge to government authorities in almost all cities around the world, especially those in developing counties. To promote the adoption of circular economy and improve construction waste management performance in China’s construction and demolition waste industry, a policy analysis is conducted at three governance levels: the national, provincial, and municipal levels. These policies are examined in relation to the waste management chain, the waste management hierarchy, and governance levels. In particular, four cities, including Beijing, Shenzhen, Xi’an and Changsha, are examined as cases in the analysis. It is found that (1) more attention should be given to construction waste management in all cities, as approximately 44% of all cities do not have their own regulations; (2) the focuses of these policies shift from the end of the construction waste chain to the start of the construction waste management chain, and then to the whole chain; (3) financial and technological instruments could greatly improve performance; and (4) new technologies and instruments could facilitate communications between stakeholders to improve construction waste performance.