Circular economy policies and the use of recycled materials in the Australian built environment

Salman Shooshtarian; Peter S P Wong; Savindi Caldera; Chamari Jayarathna; Tim Ryley; Tayyab Maqsood; Atiq Zaman; Ana Maria Caceres Ruiz

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126108

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Circular economy policies and the use of recycled materials in the Australian built environment

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Circular economy policies and the use of recycled materials in the Australian built environment

Salman Shooshtarian, Peter S P Wong, Savindi Caldera, Chamari Jayarathna, Tim Ryley, Tayyab Maqsood, Atiq Zaman and Ana Maria Caceres Ruiz

Journal of Environmental Management, Vol.389, pp.1-15

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126108

PMID: 40483860

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Abstract

Construction and demolition waste

Products with recycled content

Circular economy

Industry stakeholder

Circular economy business models

The built environment sector is a major contributor to global waste generation, prompting urgent calls for the sector's transition towards a circular economy (CE). Utilising products with recycled content (PwRC) in construction activities is widely recognised as an effective strategy to support this transition. The opimal utilsiation of these resources warrants supportive policies. There is a limited understanding of how the key stakeholders in the sector perceive these policies. This study investigates the perceptions of key stakeholders regarding the relevance, effectiveness, and limitations of 17 CE policies influencing the uptake of PwRC in Australia. The study employed a semi-structured survey and captured 62 responses representing various stakeholders on 17 CE policies. The findings reveal varying levels of familiarity with the CE policies studied. Furthermore, most survey respondents view current policy frameworks as insufficient in promoting the use of recycled content in construction, underscoring gaps in perceived CE policy effectiveness, particularly in national versus state-level prioritisation. Key policies such as Extended Producer Responsibility, Sustainable Procurement and Carbon Pricing Scheme were identified as having the most significant positive impacts for PwRC optimal uptake in construction projects. The study provides actionable insights for policymakers to clarify and standardise specific areas, enhancing stakeholders' confidence and engagement in circular practices and PwRC utilisation. Furthermore, it highlights the need for integrated policy approaches that address unintended consequences and foster a supportive policy mix for circular practices in the sector.

Details

Title: Circular economy policies and the use of recycled materials in the Australian built environment
Authors: Salman Shooshtarian (Corresponding Author) - RMIT University
Peter S P Wong - RMIT University
Savindi Caldera - University of the Sunshine Coast
Chamari Jayarathna - Griffith University
Tim Ryley - Griffith University
Tayyab Maqsood - RMIT University
Atiq Zaman - Curtin University
Ana Maria Caceres Ruiz - Curtin University
Publication details: Journal of Environmental Management, Vol.389, pp.1-15
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126108
ISSN: 1095-8630
PMID: 40483860
Copyright note: © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Data Availability: Data will be made available on request.
Grant note: Salman Shooshtarian reports financial support was provided by Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre Australia.
Organisation Unit: School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991136406002621
Output Type: Journal article