REVIEW article
Front. Built Environ.
Sec. Construction Management
DIGITAL TOOL APPLICATIONS IN CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION WASTE MANAGEMENT: A SYSTEMATIC MAPPING REVIEW
1. University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
2. National University of Science and Technology, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
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Abstract
Globally, the construction industry produces around 40% of all annual waste, making it a major contributor to environmental challenges within the built environment. While digital tools and circular economy practices have shown promise in reducing construction and demolition waste, most research focuses on developed countries. This paper seeks to understand the current state of digitalization in construction and demolition waste (CDW) management, identify key themes and trends, and provide guidance for adopting digital technologies to support sustainable construction waste management in developing countries. The PRISMA methodology and the archival research methods were used to identify papers published in the last ten years through Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The results show that of the 60 papers that were identified most of the research is concentrated in Europe and Asia. BIM was also found to be the most digital tool used in managing construction and demolition waste. More advanced technologies, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and robotics, are mainly applied at demolition and recycling stages to support waste identification and material recovery. Based on the findings, the study outlines a phased approach to digital CDW management for developing countries, starting with BIM-based waste prevention and progressing towards more integrated, standardized, and scalable digital solutions that support sustainable industrialization in the built environment. As a mapping-focused study, this review emphasized the classification of digital tools and their applications; future studies should focus on empirical evaluations and comparative analyses to provide deeper performance-based insights into digital solutions for CDW management.
Summary
Keywords
Circular economy, Construction and demolition waste, digitalization, sustainability, Sustainable development goals - SDGs
Received
11 December 2025
Accepted
20 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Muzioreva, Musonda and Gumbo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Happison Muzioreva
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.