Perspective towards Construction and Demolition Waste Management: Case Study on Kahramanmaraş Earthquake

Abstract

Türkiye is located in the most active earthquake zones with the shortest return period. There is plenty of demolition waste in 11 cities affected by the earthquake in Türkiye on 6th February 2023. A magnitude of 7.7 earthquake occurred in Pazarcik, Kahramanmaraş which is followed by an earthquake of 7.6 in Elbistan, Kahramanmaraş. This is the biggest disaster of the century. The number of collapsed or damaged buildings are approximately 280,000 and the economic damage is at least 100 billion US dollars. According to the Chamber of Environmental Engineers, 104 million tons of construction and demolition waste was generated. The demolition waste produced by the earthquake constitutes the solid waste with the highest weight and volume. The current earthquake rubble must be removed to attain the normal life in the cities. Thus it is necessary to develop and improve the technologies to be used for disposal and recycle of the waste stored in the areas under special conditions. In this book chapter, the evaluation of the wastes formed as a result of the 6th February 2023 earthquake, which is one of the largest earthquakes in the recent history of the world, will be discussed.

1. Introduction

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste originates from the demolition and renovation of concrete structures, roads, bridges and dams made of materials such as concrete, ceramics, sand, wood, brick, adhesive, metal, plastic. Construction and demolition waste comprises sand, soil, gravel, concrete, wood, bricks and masonry, plaster, metal, and asphalt. This waste can contain hazardous materials such as asbestos and lead. They are heavy, are often bulky, and occupy considerable storage space either on the road or in communal waste bin/container. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promotes a Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) approach that identifies particular construction and demolition materials as commodities that can be used in new building projects, thus avoiding the need to mine and process virgin materials. Some components of construction and demolition waste are precious as raw materials, while others are less valuable. However, they can still be easily converted into new products. Technology for the separating and recovering of construction and demolition waste is well established, easily accessible, and generally inexpensive. The global construction and demolition waste market is estimated as 26,622.1 million USD in 2021. It is projected to reach 34,407.0 million USD by 2026, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% during the forecast period. The global market is primarily driven by increasing construction activities and inclination of governments towards sustainability in various regions across the globe [1].

Construction and demolition wastes do not occur only as a result of building demolition, it is possible to say that the most significant amount of C&D waste is formed due to earthquakes. If we list the main earthquakes from 2000 to the present, it is possible to say that there are many significant earthquakes. On 26th December 2003, an earthquake measuring 6.3–6.6 on the Richter scale occurred in Bam, Iran. Peru was hit on 15th August 2007, by an earthquake of 7.9 on Richter scale [2]. On 12th May 2008, the Wenchuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan Earthquake happened in Beijing, which was a disastrous earthquake measured at 8.0 on the surface wave magnitude scale and 7.9 on the moment magnitude scale. During this earthquake, more than 90,000 people were killed or missing, the strongest earthquake in the last 50 years worldwide. A massive amount of building waste was generated by collapsed dwelling houses and dilapidated buildings after the Wenchuan earthquake which occurred on 12th May 2008, in Sichuan Province, PR China [3]. Haiti was hit on the evening of 12th January 2010, by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale [2]. Disasters have become more severe and frequent during the last few decades globally, and large disasters generate thousands of tons of waste, for example, the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in 2011 generated 28 million tons of waste; likewise, Hurricane Katrina (2005) produced more than 100 million cubic yards of debris. This scale of waste presents secondary risks affecting the health of residents and causing environmental pollution [4]. In Central Italy, the 2016 earthquake devastated an area of almost 8000 km², affecting 140 municipalities and generating vast amounts of rubble. Hence, their C&D waste management is critical, undermining the reconstruction process of buildings [5].

Since it is a chapter on a case study, it is useful to give information about the major earthquakes in Türkiye. Türkiye is not subject to tornados or hurricanes, but earthquakes, landslides, floods, rock falls and avalanches frequently occur. The latter four disaster types are usually small-scale, with relatively little or no death toll. Earthquakes, however, are the most feared type of disasters in Türkiye, as many lives are often lost [6]. Türkiye is located on the seismically active Anatolian Plate. Considering past earthquakes, Türkiye has experienced major earthquakes. More than 20 earthquakes have occurred in this country since 1900, and Türkiye was among the first countries affected by earthquakes.

Between 1900 and 2023, Türkiye experienced 269 earthquakes that caused great economic damage and killed many people. Among these earthquakes, the first three earthquakes causing the most deaths and the most severe damage are; There were Kahramanmaraş Earthquake in 2023, Marmara Earthquake in 1999 and Erzincan Earthquake in 1939 [7]. In Türkiye since 1894, direct property and infrastructure losses arising from earthquakes have frequently exceeded 5 billion USD and, in the case of the 1939 Erzincan earthquake (7.9 Richter scale), have reached 23 billion USD [8]. Two devastating earthquakes occurred in Türkiye, one on 17th August 2009 and the other on November 12, 1999. The magnitudes were 7.4 and 7.2, respectively. The epicenter of the first earthquake was located near Gölcük, a town near Kocaeli province, 110 km from İstanbul. The epicenter of the second earthquake was in Düzce, 150 km from İstanbul [9]. Another earthquake with severe consequences for Türkiye was the 2011 Van earthquake. This earthquake, measured as 7.2 Richer scale caused destruction due to the existing state of the region’s buildings, 644 people died and 1.966 people were injured [10].

In this book chapter, the evaluation of the wastes formed as a result of the 6th February 2023 earthquake, which is one of the largest earthquakes in the recent history of the world, will be discussed.

2. Effects of Kahramanmaraş earthquake

The catastrophic loss of life and damage caused by the two earthquakes that struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria on 6th February 2023 shocked the world. The devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake near the Türkiye-Syria border in the early hours of 6th February 2023 was followed by another one nearly as strong as the first one. Thousands of people were killed and many more were injured. Thousands of buildings collapsed, leaving countless and homeless people exposed to unforgiving winter conditions. Schools and hospitals were destroyed [11, 12]. The earthquakes that occurred on 6th February 2023 and affected a total of eleven provinces, including Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman, Hatay, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Kilis, Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Malatya, Adana and Elazığ in Eastern Türkiye were a natural disaster that caused significant damage to buildings and infrastructure, and claimed the lives of many people.

The earthquakes caused significant damage to buildings and infrastructure in almost all affected provinces. Many buildings were destroyed, with 8268 buildings in Hatay, 5000 in Adıyaman, 10,777 in Gaziantep, 338 in Şanlıurfa, 8633 in Kahramanmaraş, 434 in Diyarbakır, 1739 in Osmaniye, 33 in Adana, 5578 in Malatya and 447 in Kilis being either damaged or required demolition. As a result, a significant amount of construction and demolition waste was produced. The contents of this waste vary widely and include concrete, plaster, sand, gravel, wood, plastics, ceramics, metals, paper and cardboard, medical waste, and electronic waste. The recycling of these materials can contribute to the economy. Türkiye is one of the most earthquake-prone countries, and the places indicated in red on the map show the earthquake zones with high risk (Figure 1) [13].

Figure 1.

Representation of Türkiye earthquake zone.

Disaster waste management includes waste collection, transportation, reuse, recycling, and disposal during the emergency response, recovery, and reconstruction phases. Failure to manage disaster waste could result in prolonged recovery time, increased costs and potential risks to public health and the environment. Effective management of disaster waste could turn it into a valuable resource in the recovery and reconstruction process, thereby positively affecting social and economic recovery. Planning and coordination are essential for effective disaster waste management, which consists of three stages: waste requiring emergency response, recyclable waste, and reconstruction. These stages are not independent. The emergency response phase is considered a short-term action plan and involves the elimination of urgent threats to public health and safety, waste identification, characterization, and mapping. It typically lasts for a few days to two weeks. The recyclable waste phase is considered a medium-term action plan, covering waste collection, transportation, and reuse/recycling logistics. It typically lasts for about five years. Finally, the reconstruction phase is considered a long-term action plan, covering continuous management projects design and evaluation of disaster waste situation. It typically lasts for about ten years.

Disaster waste management strategy is a discipline that involves waste planning and control, waste composition and quantity, waste collection, storage, transportation, processing, reuse, recycling, and disposal, based on environmental and public health, engineering, social conditions, legal frameworks, and financing.

The earthquakes also affected northern governorates in Syria, including Aleppo, Hama, Lattakia, Tartous and Idleb. These areas have been experiencing complex and protracted emergencies for nearly 12 years, with conflict and displacement complicated by recent outbreaks of cholera, measles, and COVID-19, on top of the already overwhelmed health system. These earthquakes are extraordinary both in terms of scale and in terms of immediate impact. During the winter season of the earthquake, ongoing aftershocks, lack of fuel for vehicles, damage to the power supply and communication infrastructure are still obstructing access and search and rescue efforts. In Türkiye, more than 4000 buildings have fallen and at least 15 hospitals have been affected with either partial or severe damage, causing the evacuation of its emergency rooms due to the risk of collapse. The runway of Hatay Airport was split and uplifted [14].

When the data collected as a result of the earthquake are evaluated, as summarized in Figure 2. It created 103 billion economic impacts, including 280,000 collapsed or severally damaged buildings and 822,000 housing units. In addition, there are over 50,000 deaths and over 300,000 injured people [13].

Figure 2.

Impact assessment of Kahramanmaraş Earthquake.

3. Construction and demolition wastes resulting from disasters

Estimating the composition of demolition waste generated by earthquakes provides a valuable lesson for the choosing of resource utilization pathways in post-disaster scenarios. It is clear that different building types yield varying amounts of demolition waste. As mentioned above, the buildings in Türkiye are mainly reinforced concrete and masonry structures, so the analysis is made for these two building types. Principal components and materials (such as walls, floors, stairs, windows, doors, etc.) were investigated before demolition, and material amounts of different components were recorded to estimate the proportion of various components of waste after demolition [15]. It is possible to say that 170 million tons of demolition waste (Figure 3) emerged due to the Kahramanmaraş earthquake [13].

Figure 3.

6th February 2023 earthquakes’ demolition waste.

Waste and debris management, collection, transportation, reuse, recycling or disposal of waste are included in the disaster management cycle’s response/rescue/first aid and reconstruction/remediation stages [16]. Recycling and reuse are major components of disaster debris management with significant environmental, economic, and social benefits. Types of disaster debris and factors affecting management are given in Table 1 [17, 18].

Waste category	Definition	Factors affecting management
Construction and demolition waste	The definition of C&D debris, which includes damaged or demolished buildings, roads, and other human-made structures such as lumber, plaster wall coverings, glass, metal, roofing materials, tiles, carpet, pipes, concrete, asphalt, auxiliary poles, wires, flooring, and furniture, may vary among waste management agencies at the state and local levels.	Waste materials generated from the demolition, renovation, or remodeling of buildings, known as construction and demolition (C&D) waste, can include materials that must be removed and used following federal standards, such as those containing asbestos insulation or tiles or transformers containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). C&D waste can also be mixed with materials that may affect whether the debris can be safely recycled and reused, or whether it must be burned, such as chemically treated or lead-based painted or wood products containing termites.
Domestic solid waste	Personal belongings and household garbage	It can be produced in volumes that exceed the existing landfill capacity or otherwise pollute non-hazardous waste
Vegetable waste	Fallen trees, branches, bushes and logs.	When they affect general access routes and critical infrastructure, they may need to removal immediately. They are often generated in large quantities that can be significantly reduced through incineration or shredding. Reduction and reuse options may be limited if they are contaminated.
Soil, mud and sand	Sediment is the soil material accumulating on property and rights of way due to landslides, intense winds or storm surges.	It can be reused as fill on residential or agricultural land. If it becomes contaminated with sewage, pesticide, fertilizer, or other unsafe chemicals for reuse, its options for reuse may be limited.
Putrefiable	Fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy products, and other products obtained from markets, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and residential areas that will decay. It may also include animal carcasses such as pets or farm animals.	It can be composted or processed to reduce volume. However, it should be collected and managed quickly to avoid attracting disease vectors such as rodents and flies. Decaying waste can pollute otherwise harmless waste streams if not managed quickly.
White goods	It is damaged or discarded household appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners, washing machines, dryers, ovens, ranges, heat pumps, water heaters, and dishwashers.	The fridges might have been polluted by the rotting matter taken out. The proper management may be hard in case many white home goods are produced.
Vehicles and vehicles	Cars, trucks and boats damaged, destroyed or abandoned due to the incident.	If property and property issues are addressed, and hazardous liquids or materials (such as engine oil, gas and gas tanks, lead acid batteries, tires, airbags, and mercury switches) are emptied or removed, they can generally be recycled.
Household hazardous waste	Household products containing abrasive, toxic, flammable or reactive, engine oil, automobile batteries, paints and solvents, household cleaners and drain openers, components such as swimming pools, chemicals, pesticides and compressed gas tanks (such as propane and oxygen).	If hazardous waste from households is not collected and managed separately, the expense of waste management can be greater. Most jurisdictions prefer to separate these waste streams, but if they are blended together, it can pollute the ordinary household waste.,
Electronic waste (e-waste)	Computers, monitors, televisions, printers, stereos, DVD players and telephones.	Due to the presence of lead, chromium, cadmium, mercury, zinc and flame retardants, electronic waste is often separated for recycling by states.
Infected/; Medical; waste	Waste that can cause infection in humans, such as contaminated animal waste, human blood and blood products, medical and pathological waste, and discarded sharps (needles, scalpels or broken medical instruments).	It can be mixed with and/or contaminated with harmless waste and pose a risk to unaware waste handlers.
Commercial or industrial hazardous waste	May contain petroleum or other hazardous substances (e.g. gas stations or dry cleaners) that pose a significant risk to human health, safety or the environment released from above-ground or underground storage facilities or containers (tanks or drums) or commercial or industrial facilities.	It may mix with and/or pollute with harmless waste. It can contaminate surface or groundwater if not quickly controlled, cleaned and managed correctly.

Table 1.

Types of disaster debris and factors affecting management.

In the literature, wastes generated during disasters are generally examined in three stages [19, 20, 21, 22].

1. Wastes that require urgent intervention,

2. Recyclable waste,

3. Not usable waste.

Removal of debris waste resulting from disasters is carried out in two stages. These stages are the first debris removal activity to eliminate life and security threats. The second is debris removal activities for the recovery of debris. Generally, the recovery phase of debris begins after emergency access roads have been cleared [16, 23]. Temporary storage areas are needed for collecting debris, classification and processing. These temporary areas must be predetermined for good debris management [24]. Temporary storage status of waste saves time for classification and disposal of waste. However, inappropriate land use may be limiting for this method. Temporary storage areas for planned activities such as storage, sorting and processing should be chosen considering ease of access, protection of environmentally sensitive areas and logistics efficiency [16, 22]. There are different disposal options for disaster waste. One disposal method for waste generated during disasters is the recovery of construction and demolition waste. In most cases, the main component of disaster waste is construction and demolition waste. Due to the lack of waste storage areas and limited natural resources, many research and development studies are carried out on the recovery of construction and demolition wastes [22, 25].

The wastes that occur as a result of the repair, modification, renewal, and demolition of housing, buildings, bridges, roads and similar infrastructure and superstructures or a natural disaster and whose components include materials such as concrete, rubble and steel are called “debris waste”. Construction and demolition waste can be classified in several ways:

• According to their physical state: solid, liquid, gas, radioactive.

• According to its use: inert (inert; rubble, concrete), mobile (non-inert; frame, glass).

• According to hazards: dangerous (asbestos, PVC), non-hazardous (iron, gravel).

Although most construction and demolition wastes are in the category of harmless and inert wastes, some harmful or potentially harmful materials are used in structures. These materials (such as paint, adhesive, pitch) are immobilized in building production [26, 27].

Construction and demolition waste can be categorized as follows. These are:

1. Excavation materials: soil, sand, pebble, rock particles as well as the other materials forming through digging may be classified in this category. These kinds of wastes may also be formed by natural disasters such as floods and landslides. However, these materials’ chemical structures depend on where the digging process takes place.

2. Road construction and maintenance materials: these materials are asphalt, sand, gravel, metal, concrete.

3. Debris wastes: These materials include soil, gravel, concrete chips, lime plaster, briquettes, veneer plates consisting of gypsum, sand, engineered stone and porcelain. Debris waste is not homogeneous. They are formed during the destruction of buildings and other structures.

4. Work area waste materials: Such materials may be used for repair, support, augmentation, wood, plastic, paper, glass, metal, or rubber. They consist of paint, enamel, coating, glue and other materials [26, 27].

C&D waste is the solid waste produced by construction, demolishment and renovation, which constitutes almost 30%-40% of the global solid. The improper disposal of these wastes and their management can have negative effects on environment, economics and health of the human population. Most research on waste from C&D is confined to the reduction, recycling and reuse of waste.

It was impossible to rectify the damage to 147,895 buildings. (296,508 detached units). Allowing for current data, it is projected that debris removal must be implemented for a total of 35,355 buildings (96,100 detached units) as well as demolition and debris removal for 237,505 buildings (buildings requiring immediate demolition + severely damaged + moderately damaged (721,448 detached units)); thus, works on approximately 817,548 buildings in total are forecasted. By 6th March 2023, 94,297 businesses had been destroyed, urgently required demolition, or incurred serious harm. Predictions show that the total construction and debris waste will be between 100 and 120 million cubic meters [28]. Status of buildings collapsed or require demolition is given in the Table 2.

Status of building number of buildings number of detached units	Status of building number of buildings number of detached units	Status of building number of buildings number of detached units
Collapsed	34,355	96,100
Requiring Urgent Demolition	17,491	60,728
Severely Damaged	179,786	494,588
Moderately Damaged	40,228	166,132
Not Yet Assessed for Damage	147,895	296,508

Table 2.

Status of buildings collapsed or requiring demolition.

It will cost about 1.81 billion USD to transfer the construction and debris waste from the impacted areas to disposal locations. Regarding costs associated with the disposal plant, it is anticipated that stone crushing costs and construction and debris waste storage costs 406 million USD in total. These costs do not include the land cost of the facility. The overall cost of disposal for garbage from construction and debris in such case will be around 2.22 billion USD [28].

4. Management of construction and demolition waste

Waste management activities are designed according to the 4R golden rule given in Figure 4.

Figure 4.

4R golden rule.

Conforming to the EU waste hierarchy, there are 3 facets of preventing waste concrete: cutting down the amount, reducing the damaging effect, and reducing the harmful content. Tactics to stop waste concrete consist of Eco-design, smart dismantling, and selective demolition, which are reported in Table 3 [29].

	Strategies at the design stage	Strategies at the EoL stage
Reduction of quantity	Long-lasting design, lightweight design, design for dismantling (DFD), design for deconstruction (D4D), design for recycling (DFR), designing out waste (DOW)	Smart dismantling, selective demolition
Reduction of adverse impact	DFF, D4D, DFR, DOW	Smart dismantling, selective demolition
Reduction of harmful content	DFF, D4D, DFR, DOW	Smart dismantling, selective demolition

Table 3.

Strategies for prevention of waste concrete.

The promotion of eco-design of buildings (detailed in Table 2) and the use of regulatory measures to enforce on-site dismantling, sorting, and selective demolition can be used to accomplish future C&D waste prevention. It is essential to separate C&D waste on-site to guarantee further reprocessing, as quality standards for waste intended for recycling or reuse can be very stringent in some cases. The amount of non-stony materials in the recycled concrete aggregate is limited to less than 1%, as non-stony residue such as glass would interfere with the alkali-silica reaction in new concrete products. On-site dismantling, sorting, and selective demolition must be used to separate contaminants before waste is recycled [29]. The wastes generated from construction, demolition and repair activities are transferred to storage areas and the environment. There are several ways they can be recovered without being sent back. It protects the environment and the economy. In construction and demolition less natural resources are used due to the evaluation of waste less energy consumed.

For the beneficial use of CW (construction waste) in building materials, primarily, It should be evaluated according to the “Waste Management Regulation-EK3B: Hazardous Waste Threshold Concentrations” published in the Official Gazette dated 02/04/2015 and numbered 29,314. Per the aforementioned regulation, whether the CW is dangerous or not should be determined by physical, chemical and ecotoxicological tests as well as organic and heavy metal analyses. In this way, it will also be possible to determine waste codes (17 01 01, 17 01 02, 17 01 03, 17 02 01, 17 02 02, 17 02 03, 17 06 04, 17 08 02, 17 09 03) [30]. If CW is added in different proportions instead of silica sand as fine aggregate or gravel as coarse aggregate in concrete production, CW’s geometric, physical and chemical properties must be tested according to TS 706 EN 12620+A1 [31].

Many construction materials that can be recovered from the CW can be recovered with the recovery units that can be permanently installed in the area where these wastes are transported for temporary storage. Reusing these recovered materials in appropriate areas will require both an environmentalist approach and compliance regarding the circular economy and zero waste practices. In addition, it is possible to examine and evaluate the environmental effects by handling the activities from the beginning to the completion of the process with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) applications (Figure 5).

Figure 5.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) applications [13].

When it is desired to evaluate the situation by making LCA, after selective demolation and transportation of sorted C&D waste’s, it may be possible to summarize the characterization of C&D waste as the production of bare cement and the production of disassembled structures, and finally the design and construction of new structures [13].

Considering the billions of tons of waste that is the common point of all Kahramanmaraş earthquake, recycling and reusing these wastes are essential. Concrete is the most widely used building material in the construction industry, mainly consisting of cement, sand, and aggregates. Therefore, using recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) that emerged after C&D waste in concrete production is considered one of the best ways to overcome waste-related problems. Owing to the varying structural designs, levels of design, and construction management, the degree of damage and nature of destruction to buildings in the affected region varied greatly. Therefore, it is challenging to calculate the exact amount of building waste. The most reliable way is to make a sample survey of buildings of different architectural types in the disaster region.

One such solution is the recycling of waste concrete, which can be transformed into reusable material for new construction projects. The process involves crushing and grinding the waste concrete into small pieces, which are then sorted and cleaned to remove any contaminants. The resulting material, known as recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), can be used as a substitute for traditional aggregate in the production of new concrete. The use of RCA in concrete production offers several benefits, including reducing the demand for new concrete production, conserving natural resources, and minimizing waste generation. Recycling concrete can also reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, which can help to alleviate environmental problems associated with landfill disposal. Moreover, using RCA in concrete production can lower the carbon footprint of construction projects, as it reduces the need for energy-intensive cement production.

There are possibilities to use selective or mixed construction and demolition wastes in concrete production, clinker production for the cement industry, and asphalt material in the brick-tile industry. Approximately optimum substitution utilization rates have been determined within the scope of some previous experimental studies and literature reviews. As known, substitution percentages may also vary depending on the fraction change of the waste [27].

1. 20–45% of concrete wastes as aggregate in various concrete products (urban furniture, ready mixed concrete, lean concrete, screed concrete, concrete pipe, reinforced concrete pipe, paving stone, curbstone, manhole cover)

2. Up to 50% of concrete wastes as asphalt aggregate (road sub-base, plant mix base and bituminous base material)

3. 100% of mixed construction debris waste in the road fill layer 3.9% of mixed construction debris wastes as raw material in clinker production

4. 30% of the plastered brick and tile wastes into the brick raw material.

In addition, if asbestos can be separated from construction and demolition wastes; It is possible to save 20 billion TL (767.453.800,00 USD) in aggregate costs and 40 billion TL (1.534.907.600,00) in iron (Figure 6) [13].

Figure 6.

Handling of 6th February 2023 earthquakes’ demolition waste [13].

While recycling waste concrete has been a common practice in many parts of the world for decades. However, with the growing interest in sustainable construction practices and the need for cost-effective solutions after the earthquake, now is an opportune time to explore the potential of recycling waste concrete in the country.

In Türkiye, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization has developed policies and regulations for the management of construction and demolition waste. These policies aim to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and promote the use of recycled materials in construction.

In conclusion, the Kahramanmaraş earthquake presents an opportunity to rethink our approach to construction and waste management. By embracing innovative solutions like recycling waste concrete, we can reduce the environmental impact of reconstruction efforts and create a more sustainable future. Let us work together to build a better and more resilient world.

• The Turkish disaster response plan provides a rapid, effective, and comprehensive emergency response organization in the case of any possible disaster, saving more lives in a shorter period and in a wider area,

• By optimizing resources, response efforts will be executed rapidly.

• Economic and social losses will be minimized,

• The interruption of daily activities should be returned to normal in the shortest possible time. With the Disaster Recovery Plan, Türkiye is now more prepared for emergencies and disasters.

• Statistically, there are about 20 million housing in Türkiye. 14 million housing of this number have a disaster risk.

5. Conclusion

Türkiye is located in the most active earthquake zones with the shortest return period. There is plenty of demolition waste in 11 cities affected by the earthquake in Türkiye on 6th February 2023. A magnitude of 7.7 earthquake occurred in Pazarcik, Kahramanmaraş which is followed by an earthquake of 7.6 in Elbistan, Kahramanmaraş. This is the biggest disaster of the century.

Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes caused significant damage to buildings and infrastructure in almost all affected provinces. Many buildings were destroyed, with 8268 buildings in Hatay, 5000 in Adıyaman, 10,777 in Gaziantep, 338 in Şanlıurfa, 8633 in Kahramanmaraş, 434 in Diyarbakır, 1739 in Osmaniye, 33 in Adana, 5578 in Malatya and 447 in Kilis being either damaged or required demolition. As a result, a significant amount of construction and demolition waste was produced. The contents of this waste vary widely and include concrete, plaster, sand, gravel, wood, plastics, ceramics, metals, paper and cardboard, medical waste, and electronic waste. The recycling of these materials can contribute to the economy.

After the earthquake relief, the disposal of large amounts of demolition waste become an urgent problem for the governments. Improper disposal of demolition waste will further deteriorate the environment and cause resource waste.

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste originates from the demolition and renovation of concrete structures, roads, bridges and dams made of materials such as concrete, ceramics, sand, wood, brick, adhesive, metal, plastic. Construction and demolition waste comprises sand, soil, gravel, concrete, wood, bricks and masonry, plaster, metal, and asphalt. This waste can contain hazardous materials such as asbestos and lead.

Some components of construction and demolition waste are precious as raw materials, while others are less valuable. However, they can still be easily converted into new products. Technology for the separating and recovering of construction and demolition waste is well established, easily accessible, and generally inexpensive. The global construction and demolition waste market is estimated as 26,622.1 million USD in 2021. It is projected to reach 34,407.0 million USD by 2026, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% during the forecast period.

Considering the billions of tons of waste that is the common point of all Kahramanmaraş earthquake, recycling and reusing these wastes are essential. Concrete is the most widely used building material in the construction industry, mainly consisting of cement, sand, and aggregates. Therefore, using recycled concrete aggregates (RCAs) that emerged after C&D waste in concrete production is considered one of the best ways to overcome waste-related problems.

Owing to the varying structural designs, levels of design, and construction management, the degree of damage and nature of destruction to buildings in the affected region varied greatly. Therefore, it is challenging to calculate the exact amount of building waste. The most reliable way is to make a sample survey of buildings of different architectural types in the disaster region.

In Türkiye, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization has developed policies and regulations for the management of construction and demolition waste. These policies aim to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills and promote the use of recycled materials in construction.

One such solution is the recycling of waste concrete, which can be transformed into reusable material for new construction projects. The process involves crushing and grinding the waste concrete into small pieces, which are then sorted and cleaned to remove any contaminants. The resulting material, known as recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), can be used as a substitute for traditional aggregate in the production of new concrete. The use of RCA in concrete production offers several benefits, including reducing the demand for new concrete production, conserving natural resources, and minimizing waste generation. Moreover, using RCA in concrete production can lower the carbon footprint of construction projects, as it reduces the need for energy-intensive cement production.

In conclusion, the Kahramanmaraş earthquake presents an opportunity to rethink our approach to construction and waste management. By embracing innovative solutions like recycling waste concrete, we can reduce the environmental impact of reconstruction efforts and create a more sustainable future. Let us work together to build a better and more resilient world.

• The Turkish disaster response plan provides a rapid, effective, and comprehensive emergency response organization in the case of any possible disaster, saving more lives in a shorter period and in a wider area,

• By optimizing resources, response efforts will be executed rapidly.

• Economic and social losses will be minimized,

• The interruption of daily activities should be returned to normal in the shortest possible time. With the Disaster Recovery Plan, Türkiye is now more prepared for emergencies and disasters.

• Statistically, there are about 20 million housing in Türkiye. 14 million housing of this number have a disaster risk.

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflict of interest.

Notes/thanks/other declarations

I would like to thank Dr. Tülay Çağlayan Özlü, Assoc. Prof. Şeyda Polat and MSc. Beril Pınar Özler. Kristina Kardum Cvitan, Author Service Manager(s) at IntechOpen for their constant support, communication and feedback.