Optimal Machine Learning Model to Predict Demolition Waste Generation for a Circular Economy

A suitable waste-management strategy is crucial for a sustainable and efficient circular economy in the construction sector, and it requires precise data on the volume of demolition waste (DW) generated. Therefore, we developed an optimal machine learning model to forecast the quantity of recycling and landfill waste based on the characteristics of DW. We constructed a dataset comprising information on the characteristics of 150 buildings, demolition equipment utilized, and volume of five waste types generated (i.e., recyclable mineral, recyclable combustible, landfill specified, landfill mix waste, and recyclable minerals). We applied an artificial neural network, decision tree, gradient boosting machine, k-nearest neighbors, linear regression, random forest, and support vector regression. Further, we derived the optimal model through data preprocessing, input variable selection, and hyperparameter tuning. In both the validation and test phases, the “recyclable mineral waste” and “recyclable combustible waste” models achieved accuracies (R²) of 0.987 and 0.972, respectively. The “recyclable metals” and “landfill specified waste” models achieved accuracies (R²) of 0.953 and 0.858 or higher, respectively. Moreover, the “landfill mix waste” model exhibited an accuracy of 0.984 or higher. This study confirmed through Shapley Additive exPlanations analysis that the floor area is the most important input variable in the four models (i.e., recyclable mineral waste, recyclable combustible waste, recyclable metals, and landfill mix waste). Additionally, the type of equipment employed in demolition emerged as another crucial input variable impacting the volume of recycling and landfill waste generated. The results of this study can provide more detailed information on the generation of recycling and landfill waste. The developed model can provide precise data on waste management, thereby facilitating the decision-making process for industry professionals.