CIRCULAR ECONOMY STRATEGIES FOR CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE MANAGEMENT AT THE DESIGN AND PLANNING STAGES OF THE PROJECT LIFE CYCLE

Abstract

Most Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste management strategies, both locally and globally, still emphasise end-of-life treatment, leaving limited attention to waste prevention during the early stages of the construction project life cycle. This paper investigates circular economy (CE) strategies for C&D waste management during the design and planning stages, with particular attention to waste minimisation in Malaysia. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted through database searching, screening, eligibility checking, and quality filtering using Web of Science, Scopus, Connected Papers, Scite and Google Scholar. This process retained 130 relevant papers for detailed analysis. The review shows that the literature remains dominated by downstream waste treatment, while early-stage intervention is comparatively underdeveloped. It also shows that effective CE implementation depends on coordinated actions across micro, meso and macro levels involving design decisions, stakeholder collaboration, technology adoption, economic support, and regulatory direction. Based on these findings, the study develops the D.E.M.S.T.E.R.P. framework, comprising Design (Early), Education, Material, Stakeholder, Technology, Economic, Regulatory and Policy, as a structured early-stage approach for reducing C&D waste. The framework provides a theoretical basis for more proactive and integrated waste minimisation in the Malaysian construction industry.