Critical management practices influencing on-site waste minimization in construction projects

Area of Science:

• Construction Management
• Environmental Engineering
• Sustainable Development

Background:

• Effective site management is increasingly recognized as crucial for construction project performance.
• Construction waste generation poses significant environmental and economic challenges.
• Minimizing waste is a strategic goal for sustainable construction practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key site management practices for construction waste minimization.
• To explore the relationship between site management functions and waste reduction.
• To provide actionable strategies for reducing construction waste.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach combining field study and survey research.
• Data analysis using Kruskal-Wallis test, descriptive statistics, and exploratory factor analysis.
• Ensuring construct validity and reliability of the measurement scale.

Main Results:

• Strict adherence to project drawings and minimizing design changes significantly reduce waste.
• Providing dedicated waste skips and maximizing on-site material reuse are critical.
• Four underlying factors of on-site waste management practices were identified, explaining 96.093% of variance.

Conclusions:

• Site management plays a pivotal role in construction waste minimization.
• Contractual provisions, waste segregation, material reuse, and logistic management are key factors.
• Findings offer practical guidance for construction site managers to reduce waste.