Circular Pathways: Focus on C&D waste management and dust control

CSE’s Sustainable Habitat Programme conducted an onsite training programme on “Circular Pathways: Focus on C&D Waste Management and Dust Control” at the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute (AAETI) from July 29 – August 1, 2025. The programme brought together 38 participants, including officials from government bodies, municipal corporations, pollution control boards, academia, and practitioner. The diverse mix of stakeholders enabled rich cross-learning on strategies for managing C&D waste and controlling dust emissions at both site and city levels.

Day 1 – City level operations

The programme began with an ice-breaking session where participants shared their expectations and took part in a poll assessing their understanding of C&D waste management, setting the tone for the discussions ahead.Ms. Mitashi Singh, Programme Manager, commenced the classroom sessions with an overview of the ecosystem approach for C&D waste. She introduced participants to various city-level C&D waste estimation methodologies that use different data repositories. This was followed by an exerciseled by Ms. Sayani Sen on pre-demolition volumetric assessment. This enabled participants to apply estimation techniques to practical site-level scenarios.The sessions then progressed to discussions on understanding value and trade chain of the construction sector while examining the movement of construction materials and C&D waste within the city. This exploration aimed to identify both challenges and opportunities in the material flow with an emphasis on the role played by the informal sector. Furthermore, participants were introduced to citywide C&D waste estimation based on analyzing cement consumption patterns.The day concluded with a briefing on the next day’s activities.

Day 2 – Site level operations

The second day began with a brief recap of day one sessions followed by Ms. Mitashi Singh’s presentation on on-site dust management. Her session focused on compliance with dust mitigation practices and safeguards for material and C&D waste handling. Mr. Sugeet Grover then presented the C&D waste management ecosystems bringing different city case studies from across India into the discussion. This was followed by Ms. Singh outlining the C&D Waste Management Rules while introducing the new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework notifiedin the 2025 rules. She discussed how these regulations aim to enhance the efficient management of C&D waste within the city and elaborated on the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders involved in the process.

Post-lunch, Ms. Gargi Dwivedi conducted an exercise in which participants prepared construction timelines to understand the appropriate sequence of actions that require different C&D waste and dust management at a site.Mr. Grover subsequently introduced participants to C&D waste recycling technologies, equipment, recycled products, and plant economics, providing practical insights into the processing systems. Participants were laterintroduced to a group exercise to prepare a C&D waste and dust management plan for a reconstruction site. The day concluded with a guided campus tour showcasing AAETI’s sustainable features.

Day 3 – Circularity, resource efficiency and Environmental Impact Assessment

Following a recap of the previous two days, Mr. Rajneesh Sareen, Programme Director, began the session by discussing the principles of circularity and resource efficiency in the built environment. He also highlighted best practices in C&D waste and dust management from various cities.He addressed the environmental and health concerns associated with dust emissions and discussed potential reductions through site-level interventions.This was followed by a detailed session on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for building and construction projects, with a focus on the air environment. After lunch, Mr. Grover conducted a role-playing exercise where participants were divided into groups representing developers, regulators, and implementation bodies. In these groups, participants developed action plans for C&D waste and dust control based on city-level experiences and gap assessments. This provided them with a practical understanding of C&D waste management and compliance challenges.The day concluded with group presentations for the exercise given to the participants the previous day, followed by the closing ceremony.

Day 4 – Exposure Visit

On the final day, participants visited the C&D waste management plant in Noida to observe the recycling processes firsthand. The plant’s Chief Technical Engineer led a guided tour, explaining each stage of C&D waste processing in detail. Participants gained valuable insights into the production of various recycled productsincluding manufactured sand, concrete blocks, and paver blocksas well as their specifications, providing a comprehensive understanding of the complete C&D waste recycling process.