Residential training on: Circular Pathways in C&D waste management and dust control

The Habitat team conducted a residential training session on Circular Pathways in C&D Waste Management and Dust Control from January 28 to 31, 2025, at the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute (AAETI). The training was attended by 22 participants, including representatives from the municipal corporations of Jaipur, Alwar, Kharrapur, and Bhopal, officials from the Haryana and Punjab Pollution Control Boards, the Rajasthan Town Planning Department, and members of academia.

The training began with an introduction to construction and demolition (C&D) waste, highlighting its environmental threats and opportunities for sustainable management. Mr. Sugeet Grover, Programme Manager, Sustainable Habitat Programme, CSE, conducted a deep dive into the technical aspects of C&D waste processing. This was followed by a session on the environmental impact assessment of building and construction projects, with a focus on compliance requirements in building construction projects as per EIA regulations with a focus on air environment specifically, dust and carbon emissions from construction site and assessment for circularity and emission reduction, conducted by Mr. Rajneesh Sareen, Programme Director,Sustainable Habitat Programme, CSE.

The second day began with insights from two experienced participants, Prof. Narendra Singh Rathore andDr. Sethuraman G. Venkatasubramanian, who shared real-world perspectives on C&D waste management. Mr. Rajneesh Sareen then conducted a session on on-site dust control measures and the impact of construction activities on their surroundings, with an emphasis on green design principles from CPWD guidelines. Next, Dr. Sandeep Shrivastava, Associate Professor, Malaviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT), Jaipur, introduced various testing processes, standards, and the performance of C&D waste materials. In the afternoon, Mr. Sugeet Grover conducted a session on greening the construction chain, focusing on material handling safeguards at both site and city levels for dust abatement.

The third day began with a campus tour showcasing the green features of AAETI. Participants engaged in an exercise to identify existing and potential applications of C&D waste on campus and explored technologies and design principles that could minimize waste if the campus were to be rebuilt.Later, Mr. Rajneesh Sareen conducted a session on solid waste estimation methodologies with a focus on data repositories. Ms. Mitashi Singh, Programme Manager, Sustainable Habitat Programme, CSE, then elaborated on C&D Waste Management Rules, 2016, covering compliance requirements and stakeholder responsibilities followed by understanding the C&D ecosystem approach through the examples of various cities.In the afternoon, participants took part in a group exercise on action planning for C&D waste and dust control, leading to a stimulating discussion. The day concluded with two interactive exercises—Ms. Gargi Dwivedi, Senior Research Associate,Sustainable Habitat Programme, CSE,conducted an exercise on creating a typical construction timeline, while Mr. Sugeet Grover introduced pre-demolition volumetric C&D waste estimation.

The final day began with a session on alternative construction materials and technologies to highlight howadopting recycled materials and resource-efficient techniques can help mitigate the pressure on virgin materials while promoting circularity in the construction sector, by Mr. Sugeet Grover. The training concluded with group presentations where participants showcased their insights on C&D waste utilization strategies.The intensive four-day training equipped participants with both theoretical knowledge and practical tools to enhance C&D waste management and dust control in their respective fields.

COURSE COORDINATOR

Gargi Dwivedi
Senior Research Associate
Sustainable Habitat Programme, CSE
+91 8840349824
gargi.dwivedi@cseindia.org

COURSE DIRECTOR

Rajneesh Sareen
Programme Director
Sustainable Habitat Programme, CSE
rajneesh.sareen@cseindia.org