Recycling Construction and Demolition Waste as Sustainable Environmental Management in Post-Earthquake Reconstruction

A huge quantity of solid wastes produced by Wenchuan earthquake has brought us a great challenge to dispose and also aroused people's great attentions to search for a rational and effective method to deal with such mass wastes, as well as the recycled aggregate concrete used in construction has been heated discussed worldwide. In this paper, the essentiality and feasibility of using recycled aggregate concrete in China are presented by comparing with reusing waste situations and technologies in other countries. Along with a brief overview of the engineering properties of recycled aggregates, the paper gives the summary of application of recycled concrete in present construction and specifications or codes for using these aggregates in new concrete which shows the values of environmental protection, economic benefits and social sustainable development. Meanwhile, facing with many barriers in more widespread use of recycled concrete, some suggestions have been proposed expecting better sustainable development in post-earthquake reconstruction and foreseeable future.