SWITCH-Asia MAG Winter 2016/17 on Circular Economy. (c) SWITCH-Asia Network Facility. Design: Elmar Sander and Katharina Olma

<strong>SWITCH</strong>-<strong>Asia</strong> <strong>Winter</strong> <strong>2016</strong>/<strong>17</strong>
Circular economy practices in urban India
An example of construction
and demolition waste
recycling in New Delhi
By Sourabh Jain and Dr. Shaleen Singhal
Photo: Sourabh Jain
In developing countries, such as India,
large quantities of raw materials (sand
and aggregates) for construction are
mined mechanically from river beds and
floodplains; an activity that decreases
the stability of land on river banks, causes
bank erosion, and damages the ecology
of rivers (Padmalal & Maya, 2014; Sreebha
& Padmalal, 2011). In addition, most solid
waste, including construction and demolition
(C&D) waste, is dumped on open
areas and/or – at best – reaches landfill,
thus increasing pressure on already-
constrained landfill sites while wasting a
resource. This could, however, represent
an opportunity for India to embrace the
circular economy approach, where waste
is reused or recycled.
Currently, cities in India are growing
rapidly and will continue to do so
for the foreseeable future (McKinsey
Global Institute, 2010; Seto, Güneralp,
& Hutyra, 2012). Rapid expansion of the
built environment increases demand
for sand and construction aggregates.
While there is an absence of reliable
data, the shortage of construction minerals,
such as sand and aggregate, has
been acknowledged (BMTPC, <strong>2016</strong>; CSE,
2014; DA, 2015). The projected increase in
demand for minerals is likely to worsen
scarcity concerns. India generates
around 12 million tonnes of C&D waste
annually (BMTPC, <strong>2016</strong>), which goes
up to 530 million tonnes according to
independent estimates (CSE, 2014). By
2041, India is likely to generate 2.7 billion
tonnes of C&D waste (DA, 2015).
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