Opportunities to reduce brick waste disposal

Brick is a widely used construction material in the Australian construction industry. It has different applications in construction elements, notably walls and pavements. Between 85–90% of new dwellings in Australia in 2011 were built with external brick walls and concrete flooring. Furthermore, brickwork generates an abundance of waste in construction projects each year. This paper investigates the opportunities for minimising the volume of brick waste across its supply chain based on circular economy principles. It develops a model called Brick- LoWMoR (Low of Waste, More of Resource) which can identify these opportunities across the brick supply chain from manufacturing through to design, construction and various end of life stages. This paper provides practical recommendations to improve brick waste management for construction and demolition activities. The recommendations can also inform the development of building codes and standards which impact on the construction and demolition (C&D) waste stream in Australia.