Factors in critical management practices for construction projects waste predictors to C&DW minimization and maximization

Abstract

There has been a significant increase in the amount of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) produced over the past few decades, posing challenges to the construction industry and endangering environmental and sustainable development. Therefore, the present study is conducted with an objective to determine the association among factors in critical management practices that contribute in waste maximization and minimization in construction projects. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire. The population of this study comprised of project managers, field engineers, consultants, civil engineers, working in the construction industry in Pakistan. The ‘confirmatory factor analysis’ (CFA) was applied to validate the measurement model, based on five latent factors and 27 observed variables for construction waste maximization (case study- I), and five latent factors and 28 observed variables for construction waste minimization (case study- II). The Cronbach's alpha value < 0.05 was set to determine the association among factors. The results demonstrated a significant correlation between each of the five parameters connected to construction waste maximization and minimization. The results of the study concluded that critical management practices such as contract management, materials logistics management, materials reuse, waste segregation, and onsite practices are strongly correlated with each other and are contributing factors in the minimizing the waste in the construction sites. The study is novel in terms of identifying the contributing factors in construction waste maximization and minimization, as well as determining the relationship among these factors. The study carries some important practical implications in terms of illustrating the two proposed models on factors influencing to construction waste minimization and maximization.