Arshad, H; Qasim, M; Thaheem, M J and Gabriel, H F (2017) Quantification of material wastage in construction industry of Pakistan: An analytical relationship between building types and waste generation. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 22(2), pp. 19-34. ISSN 1823-6499
Abstract
The construction industry consumes a large part of raw material and global energy, and produces huge amount of solid waste. It is established that waste generated by construction processes has significant negative impact on the economy and environment. Effective waste management helps in reducing quantity of wastes and making a substantial contribution towards sustainable development and cost control. Based on a benchmarking approach, this research quantifies the material wastage and its causes in different types of building projects. In a waste diagnostic survey, 38 project sites were surveyed. Results revealed that bricks, tiles, and plaster from mortar are the most wasteful materials, and improper worker's skills, poor supervision, and lack of management the most significant causes. Buildings with substantial architectural works tend to generate maximum amount of waste while contractor size does not affect waste generation rate. Based on expert opinion, practical recommendations are given to control material waste. The findings offer a new perspective on sustainable construction by correlating building types with waste generation, as contribution to the existing body of knowledge. It will lead the construction managers to better understand the actual situation of construction waste and devise control measures.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | cause identification; construction material; construction waste; sustainable construction; waste reduction |
| Index terms: | construction process, Pakistan, cost control, construction manager, waste reduction, body of knowledge, benchmarking, sustainable construction, sustainable development, survey, construction material, construction industry, cause identification, supervision, construction waste, quantification, mortars (material), effective waste management, waste generation |
| Subjects: | building construction, measurement and scaling, industry analysis, sustainability assessment, performance measurement, sustainable construction, health safety and environment, Geography, building materials, financial and cost management, knowledge management, data collection methods, risk assessment, profession, control systems, waste management, environmental impact |
| Topics: | Site Management, Quality Management, Risk Management, Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Cost Management, Health and Safety, Research Practice, Project Management, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles, Information Management, Construction Materials |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here