Recycling Building Materials

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SDGs: Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities, Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production, Goal 13: Climate action

Country: Mongolia

Improving Resource-Efficiency and Cleaner Production in the Mongolian Construction Sector

The Challenge

The booming construction industry in Mongolia has resulted in the production of massive amounts of Construction and Demolition waste (CDW). It is estimated that this waste accounts for 20-25% of all overall solid waste produced in Mongolia. CDW is thus one of the largest waste streams. In Ulaanbaatar (UB) and other cities, the construction waste is dumped illegally. A huge part of the construction and demolition work is done by small and medium-sized contractors and subcontractors. Thus, SMEs are producing most of the CDW, and their current unsustainable approaches have negative impacts on human health and the environment. CDW management represents a significant challenge because the performance of SMEs in construction and demolition debris management is still poor. There are difficulties which keep SMEs away from good CDW management practices. In addition, CDW Recycling SMEs in Mongolia face a lack of knowledge and the technical capability to deal with negative environmental impacts. Furthermore, there are no specific regulations or certifications for a proper demolition of an End of Life (EoL) building, recycling and reuse of CDW.

The Objectives

To promote sustainable production and consumption in the construction sector, through supporting SMEs to switch to more resource-efficient practices.

The Way Forward

Prepare key stakeholders in the construction sector to adopt sustainable Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) management practices.
Test, verify, approve and prepare a CDW-based product for commercial production.
Raise awareness of the advantages of CDW-based products among SMEs and state administration bodies.
Create a more conducive legal framework to sustainable CDW management.