Project Info
Integrating recyclers into the circular economy of sustainable construction
Juan Lucena
jlucena@mines.edu
Project Goals and Description:
In Medellín, Colombia, the management of construction and demolition waste (CDW) is a challenge, largely due to uncontrolled waste generated from small renovations and building projects in the outskirts of the city. This waste is oftentimes neglected by municipal waste managers due to the steep terrain and narrow streets of the mountains where urban growth continues unabated. Yet, small-scale CDW managers like motocargueros, who collect CDW using adapted motorcycles, and volqueteros, who use smaller dump trucks, are adept at managing waste. However, there remains a lack of integration of small-scale CDW managers in the broader CDW management sector as well as that of uncontrolled waste into the circular economy of CDW (CE-CDW). Through a Delphi study, Mines’ student Noah Link will research the factors for this lack of integration of small-scale CDW managers. This MURF project will consist of 4 surveys—the first collecting factors for barriers to integration from experts, the second gathering an initial reaction of the aggregated factors, and the last two presenting factors without consensus to understand differences of opinion. In conjunction with Professors Juan Lucena (Mines), Jeff Walters (University of Washington-Tacoma), Jason Ideker (Oregon State University) & Carlos Mauricio Bedoya (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), Noah Link will conduct research and facilitate an asynchronous conversation for consensus building that will help with understanding how to center small-scale CDW managers within the waste sector for environmental benefits and social benefits for the motocargueros and volqueteros. This project will culminate in the Corvallis-Medellín Workshops in Sustainable Construction in Medellín, Colombia in August of 2026 to share findings of the study and continue conversations on the integration of small-scale C&D managers.
More Information:
Grand Challenge: Restore and improve urban infrastructure.
Primary Contacts:
Juan Lucena, jlucena@mines.edu
Jeff Walters, jpwalt@uw.edu
Student Preparation
Qualifications
Data sciences, humanitarian engineering courses and experiences, fully bilingual, experience working with recyclers in Colombia
TIME COMMITMENT (HRS/WK)
between 3-4 hours per week
SKILLS/TECHNIQUES GAINED
Incorporating Delphi study techniques into his application of data sciences; networking with respondents or different cultures and countries; qualitative data analysis
MENTORING PLAN
Student will receive weekly mentoring from me (at least one hour) and from Prof. Jeff Walters (at least one hour per week)
Preferred Student Status
Senior