Construction contributes 30% of all global waste—but new research from Charles Darwin University suggests that figure can be dramatically reduced when circular economy principles are embedded into the early planning stage of building projects. The results come from a renovation project at CDU’s Alice Springs campus, which achieved near-zero waste by rethinking traditional procurement.
The project successfully reused building components such as ceiling tile frames, timber panelling, and glass partitions—materials that would typically end up in landfill. Wood Central understands that they were sorted onsite and redirected to recycling centres such as the Tip Shop and local metal recyclers. Anything that failed to meet current Australian safety standards was then excluded.
“The inclusion of waste management as a sustainability criterion made the actors more aware of the ways they could divert building materials from landfill,” said Dr Deepika Mathur, Senior Research Fellow at CDU’s Northern Institute. Led by Dr Mathur alongside Professor Maneka Jayasinghe and Professor Kerstin Zander, the research explored barriers to circular construction in regional Australia. Instead, it focused on embedding circular economy practices at the earliest stage—during the project commissioning.
The team tracked procurement documents, interviewed stakeholders including architects and contractors, and monitored onsite waste practices: “The clients (CDU) showed leadership by adopting a circular economy approach and thereby asking architects to reuse certain materials and by including a weightage for waste management in their tender documents,” Mathur explained.
The study highlights the critical role of the client, who appoints the architect, builder, and project manager: “Their acceptance of a circular economy practice in building construction projects is critical to the adoption of circularity aspects,” Mathur said. And whilst the project was a success, the researchers identified several barriers to wider adoption—particularly for small-to-medium-sized businesses in regional towns. A lack of waste reduction knowledge and high costs for transporting recyclable materials interstate were the biggest hurdles.
“The small sizes of businesses, such as architects, builders and subcontractors, faced the barrier of lack of knowledge about how to reduce and manage waste as well as having limited options for recycling locally,” Mathur said. To boost circular economy uptake, Dr Mathur recommends upskilling through industry peak bodies such as the Institute of Architects or the Master Builders Association, coupled with policy changes: “Financial incentives, regional environmental ratings, transport subsidies, and upskilling building industry stakeholders are key to enabling widespread industry participation in these areas.”
For more information: Mathur, D., Jayasinghe, M., & Zander, K. K. (2025). Implementing a circular economy in regional Australia: who bears the economic costs in construction projects? Urban Research & Practice, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/17535069.2025.2499633
