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Understanding Construction Waste Recycling in Hong Kong: SWOT Analysis of the Government’s Prevailing Initiatives

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Proceedings of the 25th International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate (CRIOCM 2020)

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Abstract

The Hong Kong government has implemented the Construction Waste Disposal Charging Scheme since 2006 to promote construction waste recycling among contractors. Under the scheme, in addition to the conventional approach of disposing construction waste at landfills, contractors are given the alternative options of dumping pure inert waste and waste with over 50% by weight being inert materials at public fills and off-site sorting facilities respectively. Yet, the effectiveness of the scheme is questionable. By adopting a mixed-method approach encompassing cross-sectoral learning, attendance of Court hearings and semi-structured interviews, this study aims at understanding the status quo of construction waste recycling in Hong Kong using SWOT analysis, a strategic planning technique from the business sector. Through identifying the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the government’s construction waste recycling initiatives, as well as the external opportunities and threats impacting the realization of such initiatives, we have formulated policy recommendations on how construction waste recycling can be boosted in the future. The findings in this paper provide a useful reference for the government’s long-term solutions to construction waste recycling in Hong Kong.

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Acknowledgements

This research is supported by the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (Project Numbers: 2018.A8.078.18D and S2018.A8.010).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Real Estate and Construction, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Wendy M. W. Lee, Weisheng Lu & Fan Xue

Authors
  1. Wendy M. W. Lee
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  2. Weisheng Lu
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  3. Fan Xue
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wendy M. W. Lee .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China

    Xinhai Lu

  2. Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China

    Zuo Zhang

  3. University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Weisheng Lu

  4. Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China

    Yi Peng

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Lee, W.M.W., Lu, W., Xue, F. (2021). Understanding Construction Waste Recycling in Hong Kong: SWOT Analysis of the Government’s Prevailing Initiatives. In: Lu, X., Zhang, Z., Lu, W., Peng, Y. (eds) Proceedings of the 25th International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate. CRIOCM 2020. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3587-8_94

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