Improving waste management in construction projects: An Australian study

Abstract

Construction waste generation has been identified as one of the major issues in the construction industry due to its direct impacts on the environment as well as the efficiency of the construction industry. As the industry cannot continue to practice if the environmental resources on which it depends are depleted, the significance of waste management needs to be understood in order to encourage stakeholders to achieve related goals. Therefore, this research aims to determine effective approaches to eliminate and/or minimise waste generation in construction projects. Mixed methods were adopted by combining qualitative and quantitative research approaches. Interviews and a questionnaire survey were conducted as the primary data collection methods. The findings reveal twenty six critical solutions for waste management. Five factors of solutions for waste management were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis. These factors were: team building and supervision; strategic guidelines in waste management; proper design and documentation; innovation in waste management decisions; and lifecycle management. The evidence from this study suggests that both technologies and attitudinal approaches require improvement to eliminate/minimise waste generation in construction projects. Similarly, attention should be paid to being mindful of the environmental effects of waste generation and avoiding waste generation as early as possible in construction projects.

Introduction

Construction waste generation has been identified as a major issue due to its direct impacts on the environment as well as the efficiency of the construction industry (Formoso et al., 2002). A study conducted by Ameh and Daniel (2013) found that on average 21–30% of cost overruns occurred in construction projects due to material wastage. Similarly, a low priority is assigned to construction waste management and often few resources and incentives are made available to facilitate waste management (WM) processes (Osmani et al., 2008, Teo and Loosemore, 2001). As a result of waste generation, contractors have to bear loss of profit due to the involvement of additional overhead costs and delays; loss of productivity due to additional time involvement for cleaning (Skoyles and Skoyles, 1987); and considerable waste disposal costs (Lingard et al., 2000). Similarly the responsibility for waste generation is often passed to subcontractors who have to estimate the amount of cost and time associated with waste generation during bidding (Johnston and Mincks, 1995). However, Guthrie et al. (1995) stressed that it is also a burden to the client, since the client ultimately has to bear the cost associated with WM. Manowong (2012) found that clients perceived construction WM as less important than profit maximisation and viewed WM as an activity which contributes strongly to project expenses. Since profit maximisation is the main objective of organisations, they are reluctant to adopt environmentally friendly measures towards WM unless they are profitable (Hao et al., 2008). Johnston and Mincks (1995) argued that a false assumption exists among construction practitioners that time spent in managing construction waste is a loss of productivity and pointed out that the construction industry should consider WM as a profitable venture. Construction waste generation not only has cost implications for handling processes but also consumes valuable land due to disposal activities (Hao et al., 2008). Furthermore, the industry cannot continue to practice if the environmental resources on which it depends are depleted. Thus, the significance of WM needs to be understood in order to encourage stakeholders to achieve goals related to WM (Manowong, 2012). However, the quantity of waste generation varies from country to country depending on the economic and cultural characteristics of a country, definitions used to categorise waste and data recording methods (Kourmpanis et al., 2008). Similarly, the effective implementation of WM plans is influenced by the compatibility of WM plans with the actual situation (Manowong, 2012). There is lack of comprehensive research to explore solutions for construction waste generation in Australia. This research aims to explore effective approaches to eliminate and/or minimise waste generation in construction projects in Australia. Findings of this study provide useful inputs for decision making processes around construction WM.