Barriers to reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic waste in the construction sector: A European perspective for construction companies

The construction sector has been struggling to implement plastic waste management strategies that promote plastic circularity, and limited understanding persists regarding the barriers to reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic waste. This knowledge gap is compounded by the diversity of plastic products, the unique role of construction companies in the circular economy, and the complexity of the construction plastics’ value chain. This study aims to generate knowledge to support construction companies in improving plastic waste management in the European context. We investigate relevant barriers through a life cycle perspective and considering the diversity of construction plastics. By compiling product data, a construction plastic product list was created, covering 38 product types across seven categories with 18 polymer options. In parallel, a literature review and thematic analysis was conducted to construct a life cycle-based and circularity strategy (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)-categorized barrier overview. The diversity of construction plastics was considered in the barrier analysis, revealing how the relevance of specific barriers varies across products. A total of 129 barriers to recycling, 124 to reuse, and 39 to reduction were identified. Results highlight that the Construction life cycle stage faces the highest number of barriers across all three strategies. These barriers are predominantly activity-related, such as 17 “Collection & Sorting” barriers for recycling, 12 “Design” barriers for reuse, and 4 “Installation” barriers for reduction. The life cycle stage-based, strategy-specific, and product-specific perspectives on barriers provide a structured foundation for construction companies to set strategic priorities and develop targeted and effective plastic waste management strategies.