Assessment of decoration and renovation waste in cities of China

The maintenance and renovation of existing real estate play a pivotal role in sustainable building management with the downturn of new building construction in China. Decoration and renovation waste (DRW) may consequently account for an increasing proportion of construction waste. It is hard to manage due to the scattered generation, complex composition, and weakness in data transparency. Among the 337 prefecture-level administrative divisions and municipalities in mainland China, only 123 had released DRW statistics as of 2023. The data reliability in many cities remains questionable. This work conducts a comprehensive assessment of DRW based upon building floor areas and waste streams and distinguished residential and non-residential buildings and newly constructed vs. in-service assets. The results indicate that the total DRW from 337 cities in China climbed to approximately 180 to 250 megatonnes (Mt) in 2023. In 106 cities, DRW generation might even exceed municipal solid waste (MSW). Among the DRW, renovation waste from refurbished buildings was six-fold greater than decoration waste from new construction, and residential buildings contributed to approximately 85% of the total. Inert materials, including concrete, bricks, tiles, and ash, account for over 80% of DRW generation, while lightweight materials average 8% by mass. Approximately 10% to 30% of DRW generation is possibly diverted to and processed by the municipal waste system. This multi-city assessment can provide insights for enhanced sorting and recycling of DRW and integrated management of MSW and DRW.