Poon, C S; Yu, A T W; Wong, S W and Cheung, E (2004) Management of construction waste in public housing projects in Hong Kong. Construction Management and Economics, 22(7), pp. 675-689. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
Waste management in the building industry in Hong Kong has become a major environmental issue in recent years. Of particular concern is the increasing amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste being dumped at landfill sites. Greater consideration must be given to waste generation and management at the planning stage of a building development to reduce wastage levels. The causes and quantities of building construction waste generated on public housing building sites in Hong Kong have been analysed. Five public housing construction sites were selected for the study by regular site visits. Timber boards used in formwork were the most significant waste type requiring disposal followed by waste derived from wet trades. Waste generation could be significantly reduced by the use of precasting and system formworks. The major causes of wastes were improper preparation and handling, misuse, and incorrect processing. In general, little on-site waste sorting was carried out. Appropriate planning including the preparation of a detailed waste management plan is essential for effective waste minimization. At the construction stage, better house keeping and more vigorous on-site sorting of inert from non-inert materials are necessary. Waste indices calculated from waste monitoring data should be publicized and used for future waste estimations.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction waste; Hong Kong; on-site sorting; waste management plan; waste recycling |
| Index terms: | environmental issue, minimization, building construction, building site, construction site, construction and demolition, waste management, landfill, Hong Kong, recycling, formwork, waste generation, estimation, building industry, monitoring, public housing, construction waste |
| Subjects: | work location, financial and cost management, construction type, control systems, waste management, environmental impact, environmental issues, building construction, industry analysis, algorithms, site and location studies, Geography |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Site Management, Cost Management, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Construction Technology, Sustainability |
| Descriptive scope: | 2 PC |
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