I. Diverse Classification of Construction Industry Waste
Construction industry waste is far more than just rubble and debris from construction sites. According to the latest policy guidance, it is systematically divided into five categories.
Construction excavation waste accounts for the largest proportion, including waste and excavated soil generated during the excavation of foundations for various buildings, structures, and pipelines.
Construction mud is a semi-fluid substance composed of soil and water generated at construction sites, which is extremely difficult to handle.
Construction waste, demolition waste, and decoration waste encompass a variety of materials such as concrete blocks, asphalt, mortar, sand, bricks, tiles, steel bars, and wood.
II. Policy, Regulations, and Compliance Requirements
Key compliance points for enterprises are as follows:
1. Disposal Approval: Units engaged in the discharge, transportation, and reception of construction waste must obtain the corresponding approvals.
2. Manifest Management: The transfer of construction waste must implement a manifest management system to ensure full traceability.
3. Classified Treatment: It is strictly prohibited to directly mix construction waste with domestic waste.
4. Resource Utilization Target: By 2027, the average resource utilization rate of construction waste in prefecture-level and above cities should reach over 50%.
III. Construction Industry Waste Management Process and Destination
1. At construction sites, construction waste must be collected and stored separately according to the categories of engineering spoil, engineering mud, engineering waste, demolition waste, and decoration waste. Mixed storage is prohibited.
Example: Suining City promotes a direct transportation method of “generation-disposal” and an indirect transportation method of “generation-transfer-disposal,” providing enterprises with flexible collection and transportation options.
2. Processed construction industry waste has three main destinations. First, landfilling and dumping, utilizing low-lying areas or transporting it to formal disposal sites; second, resource utilization, which is the main direction currently encouraged by policy.
Example: Taking Hunan Xiangjiang New Area as an example, after processing, construction industry waste can be converted into recycled gravel with a particle size of 10 to 20 mm and recycled stone powder with a particle size of 0 to 10 mm for use in road subbase layers.
3. Thirdly, backfilling: After sorting, the remaining sand, gravel, and slag from construction and demolition sites can be used for roadbed backfilling.
IV. Current Challenges and Pain Points Facing the Industry
1. A widespread problem of inconsistent qualifications: The market suffers from inconsistent service standards and difficulty in verifying the authenticity of qualifications, making it difficult for decision-makers to select compliant service providers.
Some companies may operate through “qualification affiliation,” where individual vehicle owners register under the name of qualified companies, leading to lax management and difficulty in tracing liability for accidents.
2. Rising processing costs: Following the principle of “whoever generates it pays,” those who generate construction industry waste need to pay reasonable transportation, utilization, and disposal costs. However, with increasing environmental protection requirements, these costs are rising year by year.
3. Inconsistent resource utilization technologies: Although technological innovators like China Railway Construction have emerged in the industry, developing “on-site full resource utilization technology for engineering waste soil and brick-concrete solid waste based on solid waste co-processing,”… However, most enterprises remain at the traditional processing stage, struggling to achieve high-value-added utilization.
V. Innovative Solutions and the Unique Value of Guoxin Machinery
At this critical juncture of industry transformation, Guoxin Machinery, leveraging years of technological accumulation and industry insights, provides construction companies with comprehensive waste management solutions.
1. Our construction waste sorting equipment adopts a modular design, allowing for flexible configuration of sorting modules according to specific customer needs. Whether it’s construction waste, demolition waste, or renovation waste, it can achieve efficient and precise separation.
2. Addressing resource utilization needs, Guoxin Machinery offers a full range of equipment from primary crushing to fine screening. Our crushing and screening production lines can convert construction industry waste into recycled aggregates that meet national standards, with impurity content controlled at industry-leading levels.
3. Simultaneously, our equipment complies with the “full-process intelligent supervision” requirements promoted in Suining City and other regions, seamlessly connecting to government regulatory platforms to achieve real-time data uploads, helping companies easily meet compliance requirements.
4. Guoxin Machinery’s professional team not only provides advanced equipment but also tailors construction industry waste management solutions for customers. From equipment selection and process design to installation, commissioning, and operational training, we provide one-stop service to ensure our clients can quickly establish a compliant and efficient construction waste management system.
For example, at the Hunan Xiangjiang New Area Construction Waste Resource Utilization and Disposal Center, massive mixtures of construction waste undergo primary sorting via spiral roller screens, followed by further screening through 3D bouncing screens, air separators, and tension screens. This system, capable of processing 100 cubic meters of material per hour, represents the industry’s shift towards refinement and resource utilization.
As policies requiring government-invested projects and affordable housing to use no less than 30% recycled building materials are gradually implemented, companies that invested early in efficient sorting equipment are beginning to reap the benefits of green transformation.