Assessing the levels of material wastage affected by sub-contracting relationships and projects types with their correlations

Abstract

A significant amount of solid wastes are produced every year from construction and demolition activities, and construction wastes have become the major sources among them; the increasing generation of construction wastes has caused significant pollution to the environment and risen public concern. Therefore, the minimization of construction wastes has become a pressing issue in the Hong Kong construction industry. This paper investigates the generation of construction waste on site and their relations with prevailing sub-contracting arrangements and projects types in Hong Kong. This investigation will lead to the identification of the major waste generation areas on construction sites. Nineteen construction projects are under in-depth interviews for collecting the relevant data and information for the analysis to the local construction industry. By using the findings of this research, four methods are proposed to mitigate the generation of wastes by reshaping the current practices of construction projects. These methods are: (i) development of cost-effective approach, (ii) integrated waste minimization at the tender stage, (iii) provision and motivation of waste reduction training, and (iv) a waste control system as a part of site management functions.