Waste Minimization On Construction Sites

Focused On Waste Minimization Construction
Essay
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
General
This research is focused on waste minimization in construction building sites that influences the
economic. Besides that this study is also intended to identify the methods to reduce the waste in the
construction site. In this chapter the basic elements of study are presented. Basically this chapter covers
the problem statement, objectives, scope of the study, and significance of the study.
Construction waste can be one of the major impacts to the environment if proper disposal practice is not
adhered. As such, a greater concern should be given to the construction waste to reduce its burden to the
environment. The product of construction industry that all of variety of waste which occur at every stage
of construction activities and practices on site this amount of construction produced have to be taken
seriously due to many reasons such as the affecting and danger problem to the environment. It is very
important for the person in charge of disposal the construction waste to profit development and
sustainable future.
The waste generated by construction operations must to be taken seriously because construction industry
contributes a significant waste to the overall waste volume in a country. Today, its importance has a
definite impact and becomes essential in the pursuit of productivity goals. In addition to the need to be a
well-informed society on waste, it is necessary to effectively communicate and develop adequate
understanding on waste minimization. Now waste management is necessary, recycling is one of the best
options to convert the waste material into recycled contents and this is one of the important activity in the
waste management field.
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
The construction waste has many major impacts to the environment. There is classification methods
required in execution of mega projects in Malaysia, commercial building and housing development
programmed, construction field produce large amount of construction waste by the construction sector.
(Poon, 2007). Construction waste must be balance justifiably with waste disposal because the big amount
and different compositions have the possibility to post serious problem and leads to other surrounding
impacts. The process involves awareness, cleanliness conservation, and efficient waste management
process. To sustain better monitoring of construction waste, the sustainable development must
demonstrate benefits rather than sacrifice to the public.
(Teoh Su Ping 2009)
The amount and type of waste products depends on factors, such as the stage of construction, type of
construction work and disposal practices on site. Extra construction materials are usually planned due to
the lack of consideration given to waste reduction during the planning and design stage to minimize the
generation of waste.
The excessive wastage of raw materials, improper waste management and low awareness of the need for
waste reduction are common in the local construction sites. Thus, waste minimization is an important
area of concern in the implementation of waste management.
Growth in the construction activities generates construction wastage which becomes a serious
environmental problem with badly consequences; Most of the construction waste are not recycled but
send to the landfills.
(Mohd Nizam, 2010)
The construction waste affect not only on environment its also affect to the project cost to the contractors.
There are many countries especially the developed countries started to use methods to recycle the
construction materials due to its benefits. In this country there is a huge possibility in recycling the
construction waste and 'if implemented correctly; will only bring about construction resurgence (Wong W.
2010).
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
The main objectives of this study are as follow:
To identify type of construction waste material that can be recycled.
To recognize various construction site wastes recycling methods and defining an approach to reduces the
waste material in construction site.
To analyze the efficiency of recycling method, in order to reduce disposal effect.
1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this research covers the application of construction waste minimization as in practice and
study the effect of recycle method of construction waste in Malaysian construction industry building. The
area that covered in this study is belonging to Selangor in Malaysia country.
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study done due to many reasons, the construction industrial waste grows and need efficient methods
to reduce the material wastage that will decrease the impact in the environment. Its the first reason and
the importance one which considered as one of three major environmental problems as construction
industrial waste grows. Introducing an efficient method that deals with construction waste and resulted in
positive impact to the environmental; therefore we can reduce waste by construction management and get
benefit of waste minimization on construction site.
Also in this research we looking how to reduce the construction burden to the landfill and give more life to
the landfill. Other reason of this study is how to prevent construction waste by which way and which
method to minimized construction waste to give notification by the responsible or supervisor or
contractor to the workers in site to work properly and how to prevent the sources of waste.
In addition; this study hopes to convince the responsible that who control or anyone who involved to
construction industry like engineers, developer, construction site manager or supervisor and contractor
that the best dispose of waste materials is recycling.
With recycling the materials will not give burden to landfill but will give more life to the landfill and will
not sent to incinerators just the contractor can sent the materials to recycling center or any recycling
companies.
Doing recycling to the materials on site or sent to recycling center will give profit to the contractor or at
least will recoup his losses in same time that going to protect the landfill and give it more life.
This is the way Malaysian construction industry can minimized and cut down on landfill site and protect
the natural and environment.
1.6. Chapter summery
This chapter provides a general overview of this research where the problem statement, research scope,
objective and the importance of this study are introduced.

2. EXPLORING WASTE MINIMIZATION MEASURES IN THEGHANAIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
College of Architecture and Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Kumasi,Ghana

1
E-mail: ayarkwajosh@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
The chronic problems of construction include low productivity, low quality, poor co-ordinationand high
costs. High product cost is also associated with poor quality, inefficiency and high wastegeneration.
Various studies in the construction industry have developed best practices that are notonly capable of
improving organizations profit but also assist in producing systematic work processes which encourage
the optimal use of resources. A structured questionnaire survey wasconducted to provide empirical
evidence on levels of significant contribution of wasteminimization measures to waste reduction, and
levels of practice of same measures usingweighted average and coefficient of variation criteria.
Purchasing raw materials that are justsufficient, using materials before expiry dates, and using more
efficient construction equipmentare perceived by construction professionals as three of twenty-six
measures which mostsignificantly contribute to waste minimization, and also the three most practiced
wasteminimization measures in Ghana. Encouraging re-use of waste materials, use of low
wastetechnology and recycling of waste materials on site are, however, considered as the three
leastsignificant measures contributing to waste minimization and also least practiced. Among
varioussuggested recommendations, the construction industry is encouraged to sort and re-use
wastematerials, and adopt environmentally friendly and low waste technologies on site. This
paperpresents measures which significantly contribute to materials waste minimization on
constructionsites in Ghana.
Keywords:
Waste, minimization, measures, construction, Ghana
1.

INTRODUCTION
The construction industry plays a vital role in meeting the needs of society and enhancing quality of life
(Shen and Tam, 2002; Tse, 2001). However, the responsibility of ensuring that construction activities and
products are consistent with environmental policies needs to be defined, and good environmental
practices improved (Environmental Protection Department, 2002; Shen et al., 2002).Environmental
protection has recently become an important issue all over the world. Compared with other industries,
construction generates fairly large amount of pollutants, including solid waste, noise dust and water
(Ball, 2002; Morledge and Jackson, 2001). Since construction has a major and direct influence on many
other industries by means of both purchasing the inputs from other industries and providing products to
almost all other industries, eliminating or reducing waste could yield great cost savings to society (Polat
and Ballard, 2004). The construction industry has been encouraged to re-use built assets, minimize
waste, recycle materials, minimize energy in construction and use of buildings, use environmental
management systems to reduce pollution, enhance bio-diversity, conserve water, respect people and
their local environment, measure performance and set targets for the environment and sustainability
(Ofori et al., 2000). It is, however, regrettable that although stakeholders are now questioning the
traditional routes of waste disposal in favour of sustainable waste management strategies, the majority
of construction companies have placed waste reduction at the bottom of theiragenda because of
complexities over re-use and recycling.
ISSN 1675-5022 2011 Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying, University Teknologi MARA
(UiTM), Malaysia

Exploring Waste Minimization Measures in the Ghanaian Construction Industry
23
2.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Construction waste has caused serious environmental problems in many large cities (Begum et al.,2006;
Chen et al., 2002; Teo and Loosemore, 2001). Polat and Ballard (2004) defined waste simply asthat
which can be eliminated without reducing customer value. Waste in construction is also definedas the
difference between the value of those materials delivered and accepted on site and those usedproperly
as specified and accurately measured in the work, after deducting cost saving of substitutedmaterials
and those transferred elsewhere (Polat and Ballard, 2004; Pheng and Tan, 1998).According to Formoso
et al. (1999), waste can be classified as unavoidable waste (or naturalwaste), in which the investment
necessary for its reduction is higher than the economic benefit, andavoidable waste in which the cost of
waste is higher than the cost to prevent it. The percentage of unavoidable waste depends on the
technological development level of the company (Polat andBallard, 2004; Formoso et al., 1999; Womack
and Jones, 1996). Waste can be categorized according toits source- the stage in which the root causes of
waste occurs. Bossink and Brouwers (1996) identifiedthe main sources of waste in construction as
design, procurement, material handling, operation andresidual. Sources of waste are also identified
from the processing preceding construction such asmaterials manufacturing, design, material supply,
and planning, as well as from the construction stage(Formoso et al., 1999). According to Ofori and
Ekanayake (2000), construction waste can be dividedinto three major categories: material, labour and
machinery waste. The current study, however, focuseson material wastage since most of the raw
materials from which construction inputs are derived comefrom non-renewable resources and once
wasted, becomes very difficult to replace them (Ofori andEkanayake, 2000). Garas et al. (2001)
categorized material wastes by activity, to include over-ordering, overproduction, wrong handling,
wrong storage, manufacturing defects and theft orvandalism.The Environmental Protection Agency of
USA (2000) defines waste minimization as any methodthat reduces the volume or toxicity of a waste
that requires disposal. Poon et al. (2004) also definewaste minimization as any technique, process or
activity which avoids, eliminates or reduces waste atits source or allows re-use or recycling of the waste.
In the opinion of Begum et al. (2006), wasteminimization includes source reduction and recycling. The
same authors defined source reduction asany activity that reduces or eliminates the generation of waste
at source, usually within a process, andrecycling as the recovery and/or re-use of what would otherwise
be a waste material. Differentmeasures for minimizing materials waste have been discussed (Begum et
al., 2006; Faniran andCaban, 1998).Coffey (1999)pointed out that solid construction waste management
is generally seenas a low priority when financial constraints are present and suggested that considerable
wastereduction can be achieved if waste management is implemented as part of project
managementfunctions.Polat and Ballard (2004)emphasized that reduction is the best and most efficient
methodfor minimizing the generation of waste and eliminating many of the waste disposal
problems.Ayarkwa and Adinyira (n.d.) reports of a wide variation in wastage rates of between 5% and
27%of total materials purchased for construction projects in Ghana. As construction is a locomotive
sectorof the national economy, waste in the construction industry affects the overall national economy.
It isimportant therefore to explore measures contributing to construction material waste minimization
andassess the level of practice of such measures by the construction industry since cost reduction
arisingfrom minimization of materials waste is of direct benefit to all stakeholders.This paper reports on
a study conducted to assess the levels of contribution of some wasteminimization measures to waste
reduction, and the levels of practice of such measures in the Ghanaianconstruction industry.
3.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Twenty-six (26) waste minimization measures which have been extensively studied were extractedfrom
the literature (Begum et al., 2006; Shen et al., 2002; Shen and Tam, 2002; Poon et al., 2001; Ho,2001;
Faniran and Caban, 1998; Peng and Scorpio, 1997; Sherman, 1996). These measures were pre-tested in a
multiple pilot study using interviews and questionnaire involving ten selected experiencedconstruction
practitioners to evaluate their applicability to the current study. In the view of someinterviewees, waste
is an inevitable by-product of construction, and waste reduction activities will notbe able to eliminate
the generation of waste completely. Most of them demonstrated in depthunderstanding and knowledge
of the 26 waste minimization measures extracted from the literature for

Built Environment Journal
24the study. They agreed with the applicability of the selected measures to the current study
andsuggested modification and rewording of a few of the measures.A structured questionnaire survey
employing both closed and open-ended questions wasconducted. The survey targeted site managers of
construction organizations, and architects andquantity surveyors of registered firms in the Ashanti and
Greater Accra regions of Ghana. Thequestionnaire was divided into three sections. The first part sought
information about the respondentsprofile, the second part assessed respondents perception on how
the measures identified fromliterature and pre-tested in the pilot study contribute to materials waste
minimization, and the finalpart assessed the level of practice of the measures identified.Building
construction organizations operating within Ghana register with the Ministry of WaterResource, Works
and Housing (MWRWH) in four categories: class D, K, E and G, based on the natureof work the
organizations engage in - building, civil engineering, electrical and plumbing worksrespectively. There
are four financial sub-classifications within these categories - Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 -which set the
limitations for companies in respect of their asset, plant and labour holdings, and thenature and size of
the projects they can undertake. Class 1 has the highest resource base, decreasingthrough classes 2 and
3, to class 4 having the least resource base (MWRWH, 2011). Site managers of D1 and D2 building
construction organizations who are registered with the MWRWH as well as seniorarchitects of
architectural firms fully registered with the Architects Registration Council of Ghana(ARCG) and senior
quantity surveyors of firms fully registered with the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS) were involved
in the study. D1/D2 firms were the focus of the study mainlybecause such firms have the capacity to
employ most the waste minimization measures identified fromthe literature and confirmed through the
interviews as applicable to the Ghanaian constructionindustry. According to the MWRWH (2011), there
are 519 D1 and D2 building contractors in theAshanti and Greater Accra Regions of Ghana. Records of
the ARCG (2010) indicate that there are 114fully registered architectural firms in the two regions, whilst
the GhIS (2010) also had 60 fullyregistered quantity surveying firms.A sample size of 226 site managers
of D1 and D2 construction organizations was determined usingthe following formula recommended for
such studies by Israel (1992):
n=
where n

is the sample size, N is the population size and e is the desired level of precision (5%). Thequestionnaire
was administered through a face-to-face session which ensured that 188 out of the 226site managers
were completed, representing a response rate of 83%. Questionnaires were distributedto all the 174
architectural and quantity surveying firms fully registered with their respectiveprofessional bodies. Out
of this, 123 were completed, resulting in a response rate of 71%.The waste minimization measures
identified from the literature and confirmed by pre-testing wereconsidered to have different levels of
contribution to waste minimization. The study therefore used thefollowing weighted average model
(Begum et al., 2006) to examine the relative levels of significantcontribution of the waste minimization
measures as perceived by the construction professionals:where ASS
i
is the average significant score of the waste minimization measure
i
, X
j
the wasteminimization score assigned (on a Likert scale of 1 to 5). N
ij
= the number of respondents whoassigned the score X
j

for the measure
i

and N is the total number of respondents. For each wasteminimization measure, the respondents were
asked to score the level of contribution to wasteminimization on the Likert scale of 1 to 5 where 1= very
low, 2= low, 3= Medium, 4= High and5= Very high. The respondents were further asked to score
each measures according to the level of practice in their organization on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1= Not
practiced at all, 2= Not practiced,3= Practiced, 4= Frequently practiced and 5= Most frequently
practiced. The weighted averagemodel (used to calculate ASS above) was used to calculate the average
practiced score (APS) of thewaste minimization measure
i
. To rank the levels of significant contribution of the minimizationmeasures, the study employed the
combined value of the weighted average and coefficient of

25variation. The coefficient of variation, measured as minimization index value (MIV), was
calculatedusing the following model (Begum et al., 2006):where MIV
i

is the coefficient of variation of the waste minimization measure
i
, ASS
i
is

the averagesignificant score of the waste minimization measure
i
and is the standard deviation of the averagesignificance score for the measure
i
. The same model was used to calculate the practiced index value(PIV) for the ranking of the level of
practice of the minimization measures. According to Begum et al.(2006), although the ASS and APS are
weighted average measures and could be used to rank all thewaste minimization measures, they do not
consider the degree of variation between individualresponses. Since a smaller variation between
individual responses give better quality to the weightedaverage value, when two factors carry the same
or very close weighted values, the factor carrying thesmaller variation is given a higher ranking. Thus,
the effective assessment of ranking attributes shouldconsider both the weighted average and the
coefficient of variation measured by the minimization andpractice index values.
4.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Company profile
The average years of experience of the firms surveyed in the construction market are between 10 and20
years. This implies that all the firms have significant experience in the building industry. Withregards to
the average number of permanent and temporary employees, none of the firms contactedwas willing to
disclose. The main reason given was that it is confidential. The respondents, however,indicated that
they had enough employees and could recruit additional employees when necessary.Architects
constituted 58% and quantity surveyors constituted 42% of the consultant. For thecontractors, project
managers constituted 68% and site engineers constituted 32%. Forty percent of thecontractor-
respondents and 50% of the consultant-respondents had bachelors degree, and 36% of thecontractors
and 34% of consultants had Higher National Diploma (HND) certificates. The studyfurther showed that
15% of consultants and 8% of the contractors had Masters degree. Nine percentof the contractors and
1% of the consultants had doctorate degree. The results also showed thatmajority of the firms (58% of
contractors and 60% of consultants) had both public and private sectorclients. Seven percent of
contractors and 15% of consultants had public sector clients and 35% of contractors and 25% of
consultants had private sector clients.

Empirical evidence of the levels of contribution of the waste minimization measures
Table 1 shows a summary of average significant scores (ASS), minimization index values (MIVs)
andrankings of the levels of significance contribution of the minimization measures on the basis of
MIV.The waste minimization measure 24 (WMM 24) is ranked the first measure that mostsignificantly
contributes to waste minimization, indicating that purchasing raw materials that are justsufficient for a
project very highly contributes to waste minimization. WMM 1 is ranked the 26
th
,indicating that recycling of some waste materials on site has the least significant contribution towaste
minimization. The other measures evaluated have ASS ranging between 4.88 and 3.73. Thus,apart from
recycling of some waste materials on site (WMM 1), using of low waste technology(WMM 12) and
encouraging re-use of waste materials in projects (WMM 16), all the other measuresevaluated by the
construction professionals have medium to high contribution to waste minimizationin Ghana.The
ranking profile (Fig. 1) shows empirical evidence of the levels of significant contribution of the various
measures to waste minimization in the implementation of waste management.

Empirical evidence of the levels of practice of the waste minimization measures
Table 2 gives a summary of average practiced scores (APS), practiced index values (PIVs) andrankings of
the level of practice of the various measures on the basis of PIVs. WMM-25 is ranked thefirst measure
highly practiced by the respondents to minimize waste indicating that using materialsbefore expiry
dates is most frequently practiced to minimize waste in Ghana. WMM-1 is ranked the26
th
, indicating that recycling of some waste materials on site is the least practiced measure tominimize
waste in Ghana. The other measures evaluated have APS ranging between 4.10 and 3.64.

26Thus, apart from recycling of some waste materials on site (WMM 1), using of low
wastetechnology(WMM 12) and encouraging re-use of waste materials in projects (WMM 16), all
theother measures evaluated by the construction professionals are either practiced or frequently
practicedto minimize waste in Ghana. The ranking profile (Fig. 2) shows empirical evidence of the levels
of practice of the various measures to minimize waste in construction projects.
Table 1:
Summary of Average Significant Scores, Minimization Index Values and their Rankings
Waste minimization measures (WMM)Averagesignificantscore (ASS)Standarddeviation(

)Minimizationindex value(MIV)Rank of minimizationindex value(RMIV)
Purchasing raw materials that are justsufficient (WMM 24)4.96 0.286 34.685 1Using materials before
expiry dates (WMM25)4.88 0.461 21.171 2Use of more efficient constructionequipment (WMM 5)4.42
0.605 14.612 3Good coordination between store andconstruction personnel to avoid overordering
(WMM 4)4.46 0.689 12.946 4Adoption of proper site managementtechniques (WMM 21)4.37 0.727
12.022 5Training of construction personnel (WMM3)4.36 0.797 10.941 6Accurate and good
specifications of materials to avoid wrong ordering (WMM26)4.17 0.765 10.910 7Proper storage of
materials on site (WMM 7)4.35 0.82 10.610 8Checking materials supplied for rightquantities and
volumes (WMM 134.32 0.817 10.575 9Employment of skilled workmen (WMM 14)4.22 0.813 10.380
10Minimizing design changes (WMM 23)4.15 0.876 9.475 11Change of attitude of workers towards
thehandling of materials (WMM 11)4.12 0.893 9.227 12Accurate measurement of materials
duringbatching (WMM 15)4.16 0.942 8.832 13Mixing, transporting and placing concrete atthe
appropriate time (WMM 19)4.21 0.978 8.609 14Access to latest information about types of materials on
the market (WMM 22)4.07 0.948 8.586 15Vigilance of supervisors (WMM 6)4.13 0.982 8.411 16Weekly
programming of works (WMM 18)4.10 0.896 8.384 17Careful handling of tools and equipment onsite
(WMM 17)4.07 1.032 7.888 18Good construction management practices(WMM 2)4.24 1.098 7.723
19Adherence to standardized dimensions(WMM 10)4.18 1.103 7.579 20Waste management officer or
personnelemployed to handle waste issues (WMM20)4.01 1.068 7.509 21Just in time operations (WMM
8) 3.99 1.187 6.723 22Early and prompt scheduling of deliveries(WMM 9)4.01 1.203 6.667 23Encourage
re-use of waste materials inprojects (16)3.76 1.197 6.282 24Use of low waste technology (WMM 12)3.73
1.339 5.571 25Recycling of some waste materials on site(WMM 1)2.65 1.524 3.478 26

27
Table 2:
Level of practice of waste minimization measures among professionals
Waste minimization measures(WMM)AveragePracticedscore (APS)Standarddeviation (

)Practicedindex value(PIV)Rank of Practiced indexvalue (PIV)
Using materials before expiry dates(WMM 25) 4.83 0.575 16.800 1Use of more efficient
constructionequipment (WMM 5) 4.18 0.693 12.063 2Purchasing raw materials that are justsufficient
(WMM 24) 4.68 0.821 11.400 3Adoption of proper site managementtechniques (WMM 21) 3.92 0.848
9.245 4Good coordination between store andconstruction personnel to avoid overordering (WMM 4)
4.09 0.834 9.808 5Minimizing design changes (WMM 23) 4.10 0.896 9.152 6Training of construction
personnel(WMM 3) 4.07 0.913 8.916 7Proper storage of materials on site(WMM 7) 4.02 0.905 8.884
8Employment of skilled workmen(WMM 14) 3.99 0.900 8.867 9Accurate and good specifications
of materials to avoid wrong ordering(WMM 26) 3.71 0.905 8.200 10Checking materials supplied for
rightquantities and volumes (WMM 13) 3.95 0.989 7.988 11Change of attitudes of workers towardsthe
handling of materials (WMM 11) 3.83 0.978 7.832 12Vigilance of supervisors (WMM 6) 3.95 1.030 7.670
13Access to latest information about typesof materials on the market (WMM 22) 3.83 1.025 7.473
14Accurate measurement of materialsduring batching (WMM 15) 3.88 1.071 7.246 15Weekly
programming of works (WMM18) 3.64 1.017 7.158 16Good construction managementpractices (WMM
2) 3.96 1.113 7.116 17Mixing, transporting and placingconcrete at the appropriate time (WMM19) 3.88
1.092 7.106 18Adherence to standardized dimensions(WMM 10) 3.97 1.131 7.020 19Waste
management officer or personnelemployed to handle waste issues(WMM 20) 3.73 1.134 6.578 20Early
and prompt scheduling of deliveries (WMM9) 3.76 1.169 6.433 21Just in time operations (WMM 8) 3.67
1.143
6.422 22Careful handling of tools and equipmenton site (WMM 17) 3.69 1.154 6.395 23Encourage re-
use of waste materials inprojects (WMM16) 3.42 1.203 5.686 24Use of low waste technology (WMM12)
3.53 1.312 5.381 25Recycling of some waste materials onsite (WMM 1) 2.55 1.422 3.586 26

28
Figure 1:
Ranking profile of the levels of significant contribution of waste minimization measures
Figure 2:
Ranking profile of the levels of practice of waste minimization measuresThe empirical evidence
presented in Tables 1 and 2 and Figures 1 and 2 shows that the ranking of the various waste
minimization measures by the weighted average criteria (i.e. the ASS and the APS)give the same results
as that by the coefficient of variation criteria (i.e. the MIV and the PIV). Thus,both criteria are effective
for assessing the relative levels of significance contribution and relativelevels of practice of the various
measures in the implementing of construction waste management. Thestudy has shown that the
measures that are highly practiced by construction organizations (i.e.purchasing raw materials that are
just sufficient (WMM 25), using materials before expiry dates(WMM 24) and use of more efficient
construction equipment (WMM 5), are those that directly resultin cost savings to the organization, and
the least practiced measures (i.e. encouraging re-use of wastematerials in projects (WMM 16), using
of low waste technology (WMM 12) and recycling of somewaste materials on sites ( WMM 1) are
those that require investment or further processing of materials to obtain value. Thus, the results show
little awareness among construction professionals onthe importance of waste minimization. This
corroborates with the findings of Teo and Loosemore(2001) and Lingard et al. (2000) on waste
minimization in Australia. In Australia, waste managementwas reported as a low project priority
amongst construction workers. Waste sorting and recycling

29although widely publicized by government bodies in Australia, were still not used on most sites at
thetime. Applying environmentally friendly technology on site and using low waste technology
areconsidered less attractive environmental management measure to construction organizations in
Ghana,confirming findings of Begum et al. (2006) and Shen and Tam (2002). Such measures were seen
asadding to their production cost hence defeating their perceived views of waste minimization as a
costsaving technique.
5.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The study has provided empirical evidence on the levels of contribution and the levels of practice
of waste minimization measures in the Ghanaian construction industry. It has shown that purchasing
rawmaterials that are just sufficient, using materials before expiry dates and use of more
efficientconstruction equipment are perceived as the three measures that most significantly contribute
to wasteminimization and also the most practiced waste minimization measures. Encouraging re-use of
wastematerials in projects, using low waste technology and recycling of some waste materials on sites
are,however, perceived as the least significant factors that contribute to waste minimization and the
leastpracticed measures simply because such measures are seen as adding to their production cost
insteadof reducing cost. These findings will assist in the formulation of appropriate policy interventions
toaddress the construction waste management problem in the Ghanaian construction industry.
Thefindings will also help firms to improve the quality of construction in Ghana.In order to assist the
construction industry to minimize materials wastage, the authors recommendthat government should
enact laws and establish policies that engender positive attitudes towardswaste minimization at all
levels in a construction project. Also the construction industry in Ghanashould collaborate with relevant
government agencies to develop appropriate guidelines for preparingwaste management plans for the
construction industry. The construction industry should also adoptlow waste and environmentally
friendly technologies on site, and government should provideincentives to the construction industry to
encourage the reduction, recycling and re-use of constructionwaste. Construction organizations should
also provide waste reduction training to site staff to raisetheir environmental awareness and improve
working procedures to reduce waste generation inconstruction projects.
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, Singapore.Ghana Institution of Surveyors, GHIS (2010). List of fully registered quantity surveyors in
Ghana.Available athttp://www.ghisonline.org.Ho, O.S.T. (2001). Construction waste management - a
contractors perspective. The Hong KongInstitute of Builders. Hong Kong.Israel, G.D. (1992). Sampling
the Evidence of Extension Program Impact. Programme Evaluation andOrganizational Development,
IFAS, University of Florida. PEOD-5.Lingard, H., Graham, P. and Smithers, G. (2000). Employee
perceptions of the solid wastemanagement system operating in a large Australian contracting
organisation: implications forcompany policy implementation.
Construction Management and Economics
, 18(4): 38393.Morledge, R. and Jackson, F. (2001). Reducing environmental pollution caused by
construction plant.
Environmental Management and Health
, 12(2): 191-206.Ministry of Water Resource, Works and Housing, MWRWH (2011). List of registered
buildingcontractors in Ghana, available at http.//ghana-net.com/ Ministry of
WaterResources_Works_and Housing Ghana.aspx.Ofori, G. and Ekanayake, L.L.(2000). Construction
material waste source evaluation.
Proceedings of the Second Southern African Conference on Sustainable Development in the Built
Environment
,Pretoria, 35-1, 356.

Ofori, G., Briffet, C., Gang, G. and Ranasinghe, M. (2000). Impact of ISO 14000 on constructioncompanies
in Singapore.
, 18: 935-947.Peng, C.L., and Scorpio, D.E. (1997). Strategies for successful construction and demolition
wasterecycling operations.
, 15: 49-58.Pheng, L. S. and Tan, S. K. L. (1998). How 'Just-in-Time' Wastages can be Quantified: Case
Study of aPrivate Condominium Project.
, 16: 621-635.Polat, G. and Ballard, G. (2004). Waste in Turkish Construction- Need for Lean
ConstructionTechniques.
Proceedings of the 12th Annual Conference of the International Group for LeanConstruction IGLC-12
, August, Denmark. 488-501.Poon, C. S., Yu, A. T. W. and Jaillon, L. (2004). Reducing Building Waste at
Construction Sites inHong Kong.
Journal of Construction Management and Economics
, 22: 461 470.Poon, C.S., Yu, A.T.W. and Ng, L.H. (2001). On-site sorting of construction and demolition
waste inHong Kong.
Resources, Construction and Recycling
, 32(1): 157-172.Shen, L. Y. and Tam, W. Y. V. (2002). Implementation of environmental management in
the HongKong construction industry.
International Journal of Project Management
, 20(7): 535-543.Shen, L. Y., Tam, W. Y. V., Chan, C. W. S. and Kong, S. Y. J. (2002). An examination on the
wastemanagement practice in the local construction site.
Hong Kong Surveyor
, 13(1): 39-48.Sherman,R.L. (1996). Managing Construction and Demolition Debris: A Guide for
Builders,Developers and Contractors. Published by: North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Service.Publication Number: AG-473-19.Teo, M.M.M. and Loosemore, M. (2001). A theory of waste
behavior in the construction Industry.
Journal of Construction Management and Economics,
19(7): 74151.Tse, Y. C. R. (2001). The implementation of EMS in construction firms: case study in Hong
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, 3(2): 177-194.Womack, J. P. and Jones, D. T. (1996).
Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation
. New York, N.Y, Simon and Schuster.
3. The History Of Construction Waste
Minimization Environmental
Sciences Essay
Chapter two is a review of contemporary literature related to the topic. It will explain how
authors perceive Construction waste recycling method for waste minimization purposes.
The literature review will also discuss about the underpinning theory, what is known and
unknown about the topic. It will also discuss about what various researchers have done
in the past, especially in the area of construction waste recycling method for waste
minimization purposes.
2.2 BACKGROUND
Much of the waste stream going to landfill consists of solid waste from the construction
and demolition of buildings. Waste minimisation strategies have been popular for some
time in the construction industry. This paper considers the effect of these strategies on
one case study. Sourcing materials with recycled content in terms of embodied energy
and cost is suggested as the next phase of environmental management in construction.
Many studies measure waste from construction sites on the basis of either volume or
mass, to gauge the effect on disposal costs (Johnston and Minks, 1995; Graham and
Smithers, 1996; Faniran and Caban, 1998). This does not give the best appreciation of
the problem in terms of the environment. The savings from using materials with recycled
content can be best measured in terms of the environment by considering their
embodied energy (Thormark, 2000).
Embodied energy represents 10-40 times the annual operational energy of most
Australian residential buildings, depending upon building design, climate construction
systems, equipment type, fuel sources and building usage patterns. Each year in
Australia, the embodied energy used in construction is approximately equal to the
annual operational energy of the built stock, and together they make up 30-40 per cent
of national energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
There are several problems with existing embodied energy analysis methods, which
include process analysis, input-output analysis and hybrid analysis. Process analysis,
while accurate for particular processes, often ignores a large number of small to
medium processes. Input-output analysis, despite its many inherent errors, is used
because of its unique property of systemic completeness. Errors for process analysis
data are approximately 10 per cent (Boustead and Hancock, 1979), and for input-output
data errors are approximately 50 per cent (Miller and Blair, 1985). Hybrid analysis
methods attempt to reduce the errors inherent in each of the two previous methods.
There are two types: one based on the process analysis framework and the other based
on the input-output framework. For the hybrid analysis methods, errors vary between
these rates, depending upon the mix of process and input-output data.
2.3 Construction Waste
Construction waste can be divided into three principal categories namely material,
labour, and machinery waste. However, material wastage is given more concern
because most of the raw materials used in construction industry come from non-
renewable resources
(Ekanayake and Offori, 2000).
construction waste is defined as: the difference between the value of those materials
delivered and accepted on site and those used properly as specified and accurately
measured in the work, after deducting the cost saving of substituted materials and those
transferred elsewhere (Peng and Tan, 1998).
Similarly, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has defined building waste as the
difference between materials ordered and those placed for fixing on building projects
(Skoyles and Skoyles, 1987).

Recently, for the purpose of evaluation of the construction material waste sources,
Ekanayake and Offori (2000) have given a broader definition of the construction waste
as: any material, apart from earth materials, which need to be transported elsewhere
from the construction site or used within the construction site itself for the purpose of
land filling, incineration, recycling, reusing or composting, other than the intended
specific purpose of the project due to material damage, excess, non-use, or non-
compliance with the specifications or being a by-product of the construction process.
2.3.1 Definition of construction waste
Construction waste is anything generated as a result of construction and then
abandoned, regardless of whether it has been processed or stockpiled. It comprises
surplus materials from site clearance, excavation, construction, refurbishment,
renovation, demolition and road works. There are two types of construction waste:
Inert construction waste
Non-inert construction waste
Non-inert construction waste is around 20% of the total and usually comprises bamboo,
timber, vegetation, packaging waste and other organic materials. Some of these can be
recycled while others are disposed of at landfills. In contrast, inert waste - otherwise
known as public fill - mainly includes construction debris, rubble, earth, bitumen and
concrete, which can be used for land formation. Materials like concrete and asphalt can
also be recovered for construction use.
Wastes can be defined as all wastes in solid form which are discarded as useless or
unwanted and in general arise from human activities. Construction wastes are wastes
generated from building, demolition and refurbishment works for individual housing,
commercial building or other structures. (Peavy et al., 1985)
2.4 Construction waste minimization
Waste minimization is a waste management approach that focuses on reducing the
amount and toxicity of hazardous waste that is generated. In addition to hazardous
wasted regulated under RCRA, the EPA encourages waste minimization techniques
that focus on preventing waste from ever being created, (source reduction) and
recycling. there are three general methods of waste minimization: source reduction,
recycling, and treatment.
2.4.1 Steps of waste minimization:
Reduce consumption of resources by building smaller houses that are better designed
for your needs. This is the most effective way to conserve precious resources for use by
future generations and reduce waste. It also lowers costs.
Re-use existing buildings and materials and reduce demand for resources, lower waste
volumes and save money. Don't Demolish - Deconstruct, give old buildings new lives.
Recycle resources that are left over or have reached the end of their useful life. This will
reduce demand for new materials and lower the volume of waste going to landfill.
sending building material to landfill is like throwing money in the bin.
Use renewable resources like sustainably managed forests. This creates a sustainable
economy and helps conserve non-renewable resources use materials with high
recycled content to create a market for recycled resources. It will raise the price paid by
recyclers for recovered resources and increase the viability of recycling.
2.4.2 Landfill
Our traditional means of waste disposal (landfill) is uneconomic. Costs to communities
for operating and maintaining landfill sites are high and availability of suitable land is
limited.
Re-use options for landfill sites are extremely limited due to potential health hazards.
Remedial action is often prohibitively expensive.

Emissions and leachate from landfill sites can be highly toxic due to concentrations of
heavy metals and toxic chemicals. These toxins find their way into the water table
and/or waterways, often with disastrous consequences.
We must reduce waste volumes going to landfill and remove toxic content from
materials before disposal. Using other option then sending to landfill. .
2.4.3 Why prevent waste and recycle?
2.4.3.1 Reduce Costs
Recycling, reusing salvaged building materials and minimizing materials and packaging
reduces waste disposal costs and material expenses.
2.4.3.2 Marketing Opportunity
The companys experience in waste prevention and recycling can be an essential
marketing
Tool to the growing number of potential clients interested in participating in the Leed
and
Build green building programs.
2.4.3.3 Tax Deduction
When you hire a deconstruction service to remove reusable building materials, the client
can
Take a tax deduction when they donate the materials to a nonprofit organization.
2.5 Construction Waste Management
Construction Waste Management is the practice of reducing the actual waste that go to
the dump site. Waste reduction is best met by recycling and construction wastes do
offer a lot of opportunities for recycling. In fact, 80% of the wastes found in construction
trash heaps are recyclable, one way or another. Wood, asphalt, concrete, bricks,
metals, glass and even paint do offer several options for recycling.There are three basic
steps for construction waste management. They are Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Reduce is basically preventing waste from appearing. So it helps if those building
materials come in with preplanned sizes.
2.5.1 Construction waste management strategies
Four main construction waste management strategies were identified from the literature
(Gavilan and Bernold, 1994; Peng et al., 1997; Faniran and Caban, 1998). They were:
reuse;
avoid or reduction;
recycling; and
disposal.
Among these three strategies, avoiding waste which infers elimination or minimization of
waste, has been given the highest priority as it requires the least resources other than
planning and designing skills. Developing a waste minimization culture in the
construction industry may be the initial process of a minimization strategy (Teo and
Loosemore, 2001; McDonald and Smithers, 1998). Reuse refers to simply moving
materials from one application to another. The third option is recycling and construction
waste recycling is a process of separation and recycling of recoverable waste materials
generated during construction and remodelling. Composting has also begun to emerge
as a new application of an ancient technology, where organic land-clearing debris is
processed to produce humus for soil treatment (Ekanayake, 2000). Further, incineration
is another process of destroying waste material by burning it and, while once regarded
as a practical method of disposing of hazardous waste materials, it has of late, become
controversial for many reasons such as the fact that it creates toxic gas and ash, which
can harm local populations and pollute groundwater. Disposal or land filling is the lowest
in the hierarchy.
Since reduction was identified as the most effective strategy for waste management,
several techniques used in construction can be recommended as waste reduction
initiatives. Off-site construction technology (dry construction) was highlighted in the
literature. For instance, using pre-cast elements one could eliminate 30 per cent to 40
per cent of wastage on building construction sites (Poon et al., 2004b). In addition, there
are many advantages of pre-cast element manufacturing such as saving time and
overall cost, due to enabling concurrent different production lines; increasing
constructability and reducing congestion on site due to changing from an uncontrollable
work environment on site to a controllable one in factories (Benjaoran and Dawood,
2004). Therefore, the present paper attempts to identify how effective the use of pre-
cast elements in building projects are in construction to minimize construction waste.
2.5.2 Insufficient regulations
The importance of complete governmental regulations for supporting construction and
demolition waste management has been extensively investigated. For example,
although the Hong Kong government has implemented various types of regulations to
minimize construction and demolition waste production, it is found by Tam (2008a) that
the mandatory system in implementing the waste management plan for all construction
projects would significantly affect the productivity of companies. This is echoed by the
study from Shen and Tam (2002), suggesting that legal measures are not effective for
implementing environmental management in Hong Kong construction. In all the
regulations in Bulgaria, construction and demolition waste is mentioned jointly with
municipal waste and the majority of measures envisaged are aimed at the improvement
of municipal waste management (Hadjieva-Zaharieva et al., 2003). It is also reported by
Kartam et al. (2004) that clear regulations and rules from Kuwait Municipality are lacking
for allowing and persuading contractors to use recycled products made from
construction and demolition waste.

Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/environmental-sciences/the-history-of-
construction-waste-minimization-environmental-sciences-essay.php#ixzz32yAEzveo
? hB4bRVbK5sFl7D

Email me a link

Abstract: This study aims to report investigation into the problem of waste management on
construction sites in South Western Nigeria and to unveil inherent dangers material wastage
poses to the construction Industry. In the construction industries, materials are very vital in
building sites, but not all the materials delivered are used for the purposes for which they have
been ordered and the subsequent disappearance of these materials constitutes part of the
waste. The primary research instruments used was the questionnaire which contained varied
questions on material wastage and management. The investigation revealed that material
wastage brings about additional cost to the construction project as well as a reduction in the
profit of the contractor, considering the cost of storing and transporting construction waste along
with the loss of revenue from not reclaiming waste. Also, most waste that occurs at construction
sites is due to poor management and lack of awareness of effective waste management. The
study finally recommends that recycling and reusing of construction waste is a viable option in
construction waste management and that material wastage can be reduced by giving incentives
to the workers for better handling of materials and by having trained personals to supervise the
works. Key words: Construction Waste, Waste Recycling, Waste Reusing INTRODUCTION

Conclusion
Waste prevention and minimization has positive environmental, human health and
safety, and economic impacts.Therefore it is an important goal at Purdue University
. Implementing a "less is better" concept provides better protection of human health
and safety by reducing exposures, generating less demand for disposal on the
environment. Less Waste also lowers disposal cost. You can do your part helping
Purdue reach this waste prevention and minimization goal by educating yourself and
others about waste prevention and minimization. All faculty, staff, and students should
take responsibility for educating ourselves about environmental protection as well as
human health and safety.

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AND
MANAGING
BUILDING WASTE
GOOD, site practices changes and training.of Building Waste on Siteof
Building Waste on Site Examplesconstruction sites e.g. waste materials are
notted from useful materialshandling e.g. breakage, damage, lossesate protection
tostorage e.g. pallet is not used to protectworkmanship e.g. poor workmanship
of over ordering of concreteof packaging e.g. inadequate protection to theof
transport e.g. materials drop from forkliftable 3.1 Causes and examples of
building waste on site
3.1 & 3.2 Hacking off concrete becomes concrete waste3.3 Broken bag of
crush stone Figure 3.4 Improper stacking of tiles3.5 Left over mortar becomes
waste Figure 3.6 Wooden package disposed3.7 Cutting waste of reinforcement
Figure 3.8 Waste materials are not

3.9 Damage of dry Figure 3.10 Cutting waste Figure 3.11 Lost of plasterpanels
of dry wall while applying3.12 Improper Figure 3.13 Damage of Figure 3.14
Cutting wasteof blocks sanitary fitments of tilesand Auditing of Building
Waste Generated from the

Wastage (%)of Materialdone (m(m) x Wastage (%)of Materialdone (m(m) x Wastage
(%)(m)of uses)
olume of packaged construction materials x 5%Percentage wastage3-5%broad 5%bars
3-5%and block 6%Wall Fine aggregate 5%screeding Ready-mix cement 7%screeding
Ready-mix cement 1%all plastering Plaster 2%plastering Plaster 2%tiling Tiles
6%all tiling Tiles 8%of bathroom fitting Sanitary fitting 2%of kitchen joinery
Kitchen joinery 1%able 3.2 Percentage wastage of materials for various trades
on

Percentage wastage4-5%broad 15%bars 1-8%and block 4-8%Wall Fine aggregate 6-
10%screeding Ready-mix cement 4-20%screeding Ready-mix cement 4-20%all
plastering Plaster 4-20%plastering Plaster 4-20%tiling Tiles 4-10%all tiling Tiles 4-
10%of bathroom fitting Sanitary fitting 1-5 %of kitchen joinery Kitchen joinery 1-5
%able 3.3 Percentage wastage of materials for various tradeshousing projects
Waste index = 0.250 mAhousing projects Waste index = 0.175 mAoffice projects Waste index
= 0.200 mAtotal waste generated = GFA of the project x Waste index (dependingthe project
(W) on the type of the project

,,s to reduce material wastage levels,Activity (71)
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After the industrial revolution, waste management became an important and necessary function. Learn some of the
main methods used in managing waste products today.
Waste management is the control of materials that have become redundant and
therefore need to be discarded. The process includes collection, transportation, sorting, recycling, clearance, and
disposal of waste materials. Waste management includes radioactive substances and other materials that are in a
solid, liquid, or gaseous state, and their management techniques also differ from each other.
Waste management is normally concerned with the materials produced by actions of humans, and unless managed
efficiently may have adverse effects on the environment and health of the community. It is an important and complex
process due to the multiple varieties of waste produced by industry, each producing different types of materials that
require special management techniques.
Techniques Of Waste Disposal
Landfills
Landfills, being simple and economical, are globally the most common system of waste
disposal. It involes the burial of waaste materials. Landfills that are not properly designed or managed may create
several environmental hazards and diseases due to the dispersion of garbage by wind, the attraction of rats, and
other similar reasons.
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Landfills are normally developed in unused pits located at a distance from the developed areas so that its harmful
effects can be avoided. The waste accumulated in the landfill is reduced in size by compaction to permit maximum
storage of waste, and is enclosed to avoid rats or mice. Some landfills include systems for the extraction of gas that is
used for the generation of electricity.
It is essential that the landfills do not pollute the surface water or the ground water, and this is ensured by lining the
landfill, compaction of the upper layer, and selection of sites that are not subjected to floods. Leakage from landfill
waste can be minimized by solidification with cement or asphalt.
Incineration
After landfills, incineration is the most widely used method to eliminate the solid, liquid, and gaseous waste.
Hazardous air contaminants are released by the burning of waste, due to which there are serious public concerns
regarding environmental pollution. The combustion is generally not complete in an incinerator, due to which the
gaseous emissions contain micro-pollutants that are not safe for the area near the incinerator. In countries where
adequate space is not available for landfills, incineration is more practicable.
Recycling
Recycling is probably the most ideal way of managing wasate, but it can be costly and difficult to implement. There
are numerous products that can be recycled instead of thrown away including aluminum and steel cans, glass bottles,
paper, and scrap metal. It is becoming more popular to complete this process and successful marketing is making
recycled materials more likely to be purchased. In the long run, recycling can save money and resources as well as
keep the environment cleaner.

6. construction & demolition materials toolkit
A Waste Research & Education Project for the St. Louis Region
RSS
What are C & D Materials?
VIDEO: Jen Kissinger of Paric discusses difficult to handle C & D waste.
Construction and Demolition debris (C&D) is defined as all non-hazardous solid waste resulting
from construction and demolition activities. Approximately 91% of all C&D waste is from
renovation and demolition.The biggest opportunities for waste reduction come from remodeling,
demolishing and renovating commercial, institutional and multi-family projects and tenant
improvement projects. (Source: LifeCycle Building Challenge)
C&D materials that can be reused or recycled include but are not limited to the following:
Acoustical ceiling tiles, Asphalt, Asphalt shingles, Bricks, Cardboard, Carpet and pad,
concrete, Dirt, Drywall, Field office waste (paper, cans, glass,plastic bottles and
cardboard), Fluorescent lights and ballasts, Insulation, Land clearing
debris, Metals, Paint, Plastic film from packaging, Porcelain, Window glass, and wood.
Almost All J ob Site Wastes Are Recyclable
There is hardly a single waste material from a job site that cannot be recycled:
Architectural salvage
Doors and door frames, windows and frames, and millwork
Ferrous Metals
Structural steel and steel framing members
Non-Ferrous Metals
Wiring/conduit, plumbing (pipes, fixtures), and HVAC (ductwork, motors)
Ceiling tiles
Gypsum Wallboard
Furniture and Furnishings
Carpeting
Broadloom & carpet tiles
Roofing
Shingles, commercial membrane, wood, metal, and slate
Landclearing residuals
Trees, stumps, brush and soil
Asphalt
Aggregate
Concrete (with & without rebar), brick and concrete block
Wood
Dimensional lumber, panels (plywood, OSB, MDF) and engineered beams (glu-lam, etc.)
More information on specific C&D materials:
Wood
Wood waste by almost all account constitutes 40-50% of the volume of the residential new
construction waste stream. The most common reuse option for C&D wood is as fuel in industrial
boilers or co-generation plants. Most wood used for fuel is chipped prior to transport, although
wood that has been treated with such preservatives as copper chromated arsenate (CCA),
creosote, or chlorophenol should be removed before the wood is chipped (FDEP, 2001:26). In
the case of CCA-treated wood, if it is recycled as fuel, the ash is likely to contain large amounts
of heavy metals. Those metals probably are arsenic and chromium. Most likely the metals are
present in high enough concentration to render the ash as hazardous and require its disposal
under the hazardous waste guidelines under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA). Therefore, efforts should focus on the reuse of chemically treated wood. Another
alternative is to use the wood as a material in cement. In general, disposal-end practices should
include improved sorting of preservative-treated wood at C&D recycling facilities and the
institution of proper disposal practices (Solo-Gabriele et. al, 1998).
Wood can also be reduced in volume and down-cycled to make wood products of a lower
economic value such as plywood, oriented strand board, and wood I-beams. Conversely, the
adhesive content of these engineered wood products materials can limit the eligibility for future
recycling. The economics of using wood chip waste for engineered wood products depends upon
local wood waste markets (Toolbase, 2004:3).
Building materials such as lumber can frequently be reused in their original form. Clean C&D
wood can also be laminated with plastic to make a decking material, although this makes the
wood almost impossible to recycle later (Turley, 2002). Wood chips can also be used in compost
and animal bedding. Natural woody debris can be ground up and used as horticultural mulch
(FDEP, 2001:2).
The diversity of the wood marketplace is such that a reasonably mature underground economy
exists wherein the amount of wood waste that ends up in the landfill is considerably lower than it
might be otherwise expected. In part, this economy is fueled by municipalities who have created
a marketplace by going into the mulch business as an attempt to mitigate the rapid loss in landfill
capacity by creating a product from the waste. This waste equals food business decision allows
many of the contractors to contract with builders for one economic rate per cubic yard based
upon tipping fees and to then dispose of the material at a mulching operation at a significantly
reduced rate and generating a profit margin in between.
In summary, wood waste can be used in the following applications:
An industrial fuel source;
Mulch;
Composting operations;
Animal bedding;
Landfill cover; and
Some building products.
Cardboard
Cardboard typically represents 11-30% of the C&D waste stream by volume. Corrugated
cardboard is the most common building packaging material and is therefore a key component of
the C&D waste stream due to the fact that many building materials are shipped to the site in a
pre-fabricated, finished state.
Cardboard is one of the most readily recycled materials in the C&D waste stream as long as it is
not wet. The cardboard recycling market is well developed, and it can be to the benefit of
builders to recycle the cardboard because it otherwise takes up considerable space in waste
containers. Cardboard is typically processed and recycled into new cardboard containers (FDEP,
2001:27).
Gypsum drywall
Gypsum drywall comprises by volume between 8% and 15% of jobsite waste (FDEP, 2001:1).
31.5 billion square feet of gypsum drywall was produced by US manufacturers in 2003. Many
landfills are prohibiting gypsum drywall from entering their landfill. Clean gypsum board
1
can
be ground up and used in the following applications (Toolbase, 2004:3):
Applied as a soil amendment;
Used as a raw ingredient in the manufacture of Portland cement;
Used for animal bedding;
Used as a bulking agent in composting; and
Recycled into new drywall (FDEP, 2001:28).
Wood, cardboard, and gypsum can also be ground on-site and applied to the site before it is
seeded or sodded. This practice can keep as much as 65% of jobsite waste from going to the
landfill. Most states or localities require evidence that this approach does not harm soil or water
quality, so the state and solid waste authorities must be contacted before using this method of
disposal (Toolbase, 2004:4).
Asphalt shingles
Asphalt shingles are nearly 60% of the shingle market in the United States. Shingles comprise
approximately 6% of the C&D waste stream by volume (FDEP, 2001:1). Asphalt shingles can be
recycled into new shingles, crushed and used as an aggregate in the manufacture of hot mix
asphalt, or as a primary material for rural roads (FDEP, 2001). Asphalt shingles also can be
successfully ground on-site and utilized as base material for concrete flatwork such as driveways
and sidewalks.
Bricks
Bricks represent a material in the St. Louis region that is widely deployed and which is highly
desirable in the diverted waste stream. The marketplace for bricks is strong because it is
composed of two elements. The first is the aggregate business which utilizes bricks as a source
of crushed material to create fill and/or base of high quality. The second market in our area is the
resale of bricks as an architectural element. The huge number of homes that are demolished in
the St. Louis area each year fuels an underground economy that feeds upon these materials to do
small jobs throughout the area.
Concrete
Concrete is one of the most recycled materials in the United States and the world. The primary
market for recycled concrete is as a base product for buildings and roads. Crushed concrete and
brick can also be used as the primary surface material on rural roads and driveways, in drainage
applications, and as borrow pit fill (FDEP, 2001).
Local markets for recycled concrete depend on the presence of local construction and road
building markets (Turley, 2002). Markets for recycled concrete also depend on the local
availability of such substitutes as lime rock (FDEP, 2001:24).
Metal
Metal is present in small amounts in residential C&D projects. What metal there is comes in the
form of wiring, siding, fasteners, and roof flashing. Rarely is high value metal landfilled. There
is an effective market based system wherein copper and aluminum are routinely recycled by the
tradesperson(s) performing the work or other tradespersons on the jobsite. This is entirely
consistent with the underground marketplace for untreated wood products mentioned earlier.
When low value metal is present in sufficient amounts, it can be readily recycled in the scrap
metal market.
Screened materials
Other recovered materials typically consist of material left over from screening mixed C&D at a
processing facility. The screened material typically consists of mostly dirt but can also contain
small fragments of wood, rock, paper, drywall, and plastic. One use for this material is for
construction fill (instead of soil) for roads, buildings and landfill construction projects. Another
use for screened material is as daily cover for landfills. When large amounts of gypsum are
present, however, the hydrogen sulfide content of the landfill gas can increase, creating an odor
nuisance for neighborhoods located close to the landfill (FDEP, 2001:29).
Miscellaneous
Habitat for Humanity has a number of ReStore locations across the country and one in St. Louis.
The ReStore stores serve as both non-profit building materials recycling centers and discount
home improvement centers, providing local markets for used C&D materials and salvaged parts.
A variety of materials can be purchased or donated at the store.
Additionally there are a number of private sector second hand and/or architectural building
supplies stores that can and do frequently take materials from the C&D cycle and provide a
method of redeployment.
Like this:

1401245574742

7. Instructions on concrete recycling
1.
o 1
Sort your concrete blocks into two categories: those that can be reused and
those that cannot. Concrete blocks that are chipped or broken should not be
reused for building, but they can still be recycled.
o 2
Locate green contractors near you through the Green Contractor Guide (see
Resources). Call matching local contractors to see if they need cinder or
concrete blocks for building projects. If someone wants the blocks, arrange
to have them removed. In this way, you don't have to transport the blocks in
your car for recycling, and you save resources because the blocks can be
reused in their current state without being processed.
o
o 3
Find recycling centers near you that accept concrete blocks by going to
Earth 911 (see Resources). Enter your city or zip code in the location blocks
and type "Concrete" in the search bar. Then call matching recycling centers
to find out when they are open. Load the concrete blocks into your car or
truck and drive them to the recycling center. Dispose of all broken or subpar
blocks in this manner, along with concrete blocks you can't give to a
contractor.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_6921294_recycle-concrete-
blocks.html#ixzz32yXWl6Fy

8. Effective Site Waste Management Plan
2.1 Introduction
To fulfill the object of the topic for Site Waste Management Plan (hereinafter referred to as
SWMP), the first part in this chapter 2 literature review is defined what is construction waste and
follow by the types of materials waste contribute on construction site. . Hereafter, the next part
will be continuous by the factors cause of site waste in the construction industry. For the last
part will carry out on what is SWMP and the benefits of site waste management plan applying in
construction industry and also for the guide to formulating a site waste management plans.
2.2 Construction waste
2.2.1 Definition of Construction waste
The waste building materials, packaging, and rubble resulting from construction, remodeling,
repair, and demolition operations on pavements, houses, commercial buildings, and others
structures.
(Source: Environmental Protection agency, USEPA)
Waste is defined as the by-product generated and removed from construction, renovation and
demolition workplaces or sites of building and civil engineering structure.
(Source: Cheung, 1993)
Waste is defined as any material by-product of human and industrial activity that has no residual
value.
(Source: Serpell and Alarcon, 1998)
Construction site waste can describe as the non-hazardous by-product resulting from activities
during new construction and renovation. It is generated during the construction process
because of factors such as site preparation, materials use, materials damage, and materials
non- use, excess procurement and human error.
(Source: umplib.ump.edu.my)
Construction waste define as discarded material, for example concrete, steel, timber, bricks,
blocks, glass, soil and plastic generated by new building construction, refurbishment, or
demolition of existing building, and there are neither toxic nor biodegradable.
(Source: Building Dictionary)
Construction activities create waste materials, such as scrap, damaged or attaint materials,
transient and consumable materials in construction, and aids that are not within in the
completion project, casing of materials and the workforce also bring out of waste.
(Source: WBDG, 2010)
2.2.2 The Law of Construction waste
Waste management is now a carefully controlled and regulated process. These controls have
been introduced in response to environmental damage and significant costs that have been
imposed upon communities by the illegal disposal of waste. People who handling the waste
need to know the law and comply on it. There are legal definitions of what is waste, but
sometimes can be difficult to interpretation on it. Licenses may be needed for the storage of
waste, also for the planning permission may be needed for temporary storage of waste,
operation of recycling plant and final disposal. The person who carries of waste must be
registered and a duty of care under criminal law obliges producers of waste to ensure its safe
disposal or treatment.
(Source: Ferguson et al., 1995)
2.2 What is Site Waste Management Plans
(SWMPs)
According to the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), John Wiley and Sons (2010) defined
that a SWMP provides a framework for managing the disposition of waste throughout the life of
a construction project. The SWMP will identify assessed quantities of waste at construction site
will be carried out at the pre-construction stage using the data based on the design and facilitate
the identification of the suitable decisions about the best and maximum economical ways of
managing the waste. The reason behind introducing SWMP is to insure that the type of waste
generation is thought suitably from the design and specification step and facilitate choose of the
construction manners and materials that would effectively reduce waste generation.
Add on it, SWMPs are an important tool for construction companies and their clients, of all
sizes, to improve their environmental performance, meet regulatory controls and reduce rising
costs of disposing of waste. This document sets out the basic structure of SWMPs and how
companies can best use them to improve and manage their operations at all stages of site
activity. It includes useful checklists and other guidance to help ensure the Plan is a practical
tool as defined by Department of Trade and Industry, DTI (2004) and CPDNI, (2006).
2.4 The Benefits of SWMPs Applying In
Construction Industry
Save time You can answer queries about your waste from your environmental regulator or
local council quickly and easily.
Help you avoid prosecution You can easily make sure all your waste is disposed of legally.
Win new business You can prove your environmental performance, which can give you an
advantage in the tendering process.
Understand and reduce waste disposal costs You understand how your waste is managed
so you can identify where to save money and reduce costs.
Enhance your reputation Your customers can see where you are helping the environment
and making cost savings.
Help the environment You will manage materials and waste on site more responsibly so they
are less of a risk to the local environment.
Improve future projects When your SWMP is complete you will have useful information for
future projects about how you used resources and managed your waste.
(Source: Netregs)
SWMPs can save you money, but only if you use them to challenge the way you use your
resources. By thinking about minimising waste from the outset you can save money on
materials, disposal costs and labour and make a real difference to your bottom line. They should
also make tracking your waste more straightforward as you will keep or log all waste paperwork
in one document. This will help you to comply with the waste duty of care and reduce the risk of
fly-tipping. Details of how to write and implement a plan are given in Part 2 of this guide. Advice
on improving materials resource efficiency and securing greater savings through the SWMP
process is provided in Part 4.
Although SWMPs will save the construction industry money it is important to ensure that all
projects produce suitable plans to maintain a level playing field. As well as minimising waste,
SWMPs will record how waste is disposed of, reused, recycled or recovered in other ways.
Recovery or disposal must be in compliance with the waste management licensing system, the
waste duty of care and waste carrier legislation, and it is expected that SWMPs will help to
improve awareness and compliance with these existing legal provisions. SWMPs should
thereby reduce the amount of construction and demolition waste that is illegally dumped or fly-
tipped, resulting in cost savings to local authorities, the Environment Agency and landowners in
clearing and investigating illegal waste activity. Part 3 of this guide provides information on
enforcement responsibilities and recommended practices.
(Source: Defra, 2008)
2.3 Guides To Formulating A Site Waste
Management Plans
Flowchart 1: The nine important steps to producing a Site Waste Management Plan.
(Source: NetRegs)
From the flowchart above is show that the nine important steps to formulate the SWMPs at the
pre-construction stage which is before the project start. For the first step to be carried out is well
plan and prepare for the SWMP, follow by the allocate responsibility of plan, next will be identify
the waste and also identify how to manage and where to dispose of the waste. Moreover, the
party who responsible for the plan is necessary to organise the materials and waste,
communicate the plan and carry out training with the site staff, next step follow by measure the
waste and update for the plan and the last step is review on the successful plan and learn from
it.
A successful SWMP requires careful planning and preparation by the party who responsible to
carry out the plan. Certainly, the larger the sizes of the project the more work are required.
Before the construction works commence, it is necessary to prepare a SWMP for a project in
England which the construction cost if above 300,000, or if it is a public sector contract above
200,000 in Northern Ireland. For prepare an effective plan there must well planning to satisfy for
the particular project. According to the NetRegs the following for nine step to formulate the
SWMP information are refer from that article.
Step one Plan and prepare
The first step is important that start for the SWMP during the concept and design stage of the
project. Design decisions can make a significant contribution to preventing and reducing waste
in the first place. Planning these steps in advance will enable to get the most out of materials
and help prevent them becoming waste. Therefore, it must record all decisions about the project
design, construction methods or materials that will minimise the waste produced on site. Make
sure record all measures taken to reduce waste, even where waste is totally eliminated. This will
enable to quantify tonnages of reduced waste and cost savings. Confirm that the schedule of
time to prepare SWMP while the construction work is being planned. This early stage is the best
opportunity to reduce the amount of waste for project will produce.
Step two Allocate responsibility for the SWMP
The following step which is allocates the responsibility on the plan, several people in the
contract can be involved in the delivery of the plan, and furthermore, one of the people must be
appointed to take overall responsibility for the SWMP. Normally, this will be the client in the pre-
construction stage, but his responsibility may transfer to the principal contractor when
construction commence. However, during the construction period on the plan, one of the person
should be in charge and responsible for updating it. That person needs to clearly understand
their responsibilities and have the authority to ensure that others will cooperate. The client and
the principal contractor must sign a declaration that they will handle materials efficiently and
manage waste appropriately in line with their duty of care.
Step three Identify waste
The third step is identifying the types and quantities of waste that the project will produce. Think
through every stage of the project and work out in advance what materials will be used. The
client or contractor must estimate how much waste will be produced and set realistic targets for
how much of that waste on site can reuse, recycle or dispose of. A simple way of getting this
information together is to use a data sheet or table, this should include the waste hierarchy,
onsite and off-site options for handling the waste and any special arrangements that need to
make for hazardous waste. Use the data sheet at the planning stage of project and then
throughout the project, for example to report weekly or monthly summaries.
Step four Identify how to manage waste
In this stage, the client or contractor have to work out the best options for recycling and
disposing of all the types of waste site produces and make sure to know where, when and what
sort of materials can reuse, recycle or dispose of both on-site and off-site. Therefore, store and
dispose of all waste responsibly and do not mix different types of waste. There can save time
and money if segregate wastes as they are generated. Keep signed waste transfer notes
(hereinafter referred to as WTNs) or consignment notes for all waste that dispose of or transfer
from your site. Furthermore, WTNs must keep for at least two years and consignment notes for
at least three years. This could be kept as an appendix to the plan. According to DTI, (2004)
define as the principal contractor identify waste management options including reference to the
waste hierarchy, on- and off-site options and pay particular attention to arrangements for
identifying and managing any hazardous wastes produced.
(Source: NetRegs and DTI, (2004))
Step five Identify where and how to dispose of
waste
The client or contractor has to make sure where and how the waste will be disposed off. If there
is using waste disposal contractors so will need to make sure they dispose of it safely and
legally. The person who in charge need to check that anyone transporting the waste, including
own business, is registered as a waste carrier with the environmental regulator and record their
waste carrier registration number on the plan. All the sites receiving this waste have an
appropriate permit, licence or registered exemption from the environmental regulator also record
these details (including the permit or licence reference number) on the plan. There can check
these registered waste carriers with environmental regulator.
Step six Organise materials and waste
Make significant savings by carefully planning the materials that need for the project. Avoid
over-ordering to save money and reduce site waste. Pre-order materials to specification at the
design stage to reduce waste created from off-cuts and reduce labour costs. Consider any
limitations of location. Consider using recycled or previously used materials as another way of
keeping costs down and helping the environment. Record all the decisions that make to
minimise waste, such as the construction methods and materials to be used. Make sure also
record in SWMP targets in the data sheet.
Step seven Communicate the plan and carry out
training
After organise materials and waste, once have a clear plan, let everyone know about it,
especially subcontractors. The client or contractor must keep the SWMP on site. Make sure
everyone working on the project knows where to find it. Make sure that all workers on site have
the right training and information to carry out their work according to the SWMP. Carry out any
necessary training of in-house and sub-contract staff so that everyone understands the
requirements of Site Waste Management Plan. (DTI, 2004)
Meet with staff and sub-contractors to clearly explain why the SWMP is important. Include
SWMP information in site induction, and provide updates through toolbox talks. There may need
to develop a training programme to make sure everyone understands how to report waste and
material use. The training should ensure that everyone is aware of the importance of asking for
and recording the correct paperwork, receipts, destinations for materials etc.
Train and brief the workers on the importance of not mixing wastes or contaminating skips.
Designate skip areas and label skips clearly. During the construction of the project, principal
contractor carry out spot checks and monitor the staff regularly to make sure they are in
succession procedures. Appoint a site champion with the authority to make sure everyone
comply on the plan.
Step eight Measure the waste and update for
SWMP
Furthermore, once the project is underway the client or contractor need to update the SWMP
regularly when waste leaves the construction site. Keep on follow of all movements of waste
within and from site. There must record the types of waste taken, who removed the waste and
where they took the waste. Hold the waste documents as an appendix to the plan and make
sure update of plan for the project with the totals of waste handled to reflect the progress.
Therefore, the client or contractor measure how well the plan is working by estimating the type
and quantity of waste that is produced.
Carry out the measurements so the client or principal contractor can compare with projects in
the future. For example, measure for volume which is the number of full skips, the next is value
for the cost of disposal, follow by weight for weighbridge tickets returned to contractor. Then will
be record waste costs against the value of project, area of build floor space, and volume of
building. Follow up the progress by updating data sheet in order and improve data sheet if
circumstances change. The principal contractor has to make sure everything is going based on
the plan and make any changes which required.
Step nine Review the success and learn lessons
for the future
In this last stage is review the success plan and learn from there for the future project. When the
project go to an end the SWMP should give an accurate record of how effectively the client or
principal contractor have managed the materials on the site and how well met on the waste
management targets. If the project construction cost is estimated between the 300,000 and
500,000 which locate in England, the principal contractor must add on more information to the
plan within three months of the project being completed to confirm the plan has been monitored
and updated on a regular basis, also explain on any changes from the original plan. For which
the construction cost of the project is over 500,000 the principal contractor also need to
compare on each type of waste for estimated and actual quantities, and estimate the saving
cost achieved by the plan.
For future construction projects, the information in the plan will be very useful. A report of the
SWMP results and a list of action points could bind together for the future. So the principal
contractor can send over to staff and customers to inform that everyone who involved in
delivering the SWMP about its impact of cost for the project, value, and benefits to the
environment. Add on it, according to the DTI, (2004) provide that the principal contractor share
these with colleagues so that they can benefit from experiences also. The principal contractor
must keep the SWMP for at least two years after the date of completion of project, keep its
either at the project site, or at the principal contractors main place of business.
Flowchart: Resource efficient approach to using SWMPs.
(Source: Defra, 2008)
2.5 The Types of Materials Waste On Site
2.4.1 Demolition
2.4.2 In-situ Concrete
2.4.3 Precast Concrete
2.4.4 Formwork for Concrete
2.4.5 Reinforcement
2.4.6 Bricks and Blocks
2.4.7 Scaffolding
2.4.8 Timber
2.4.9 Roof Tiles
2.4.10 Glass
2.4.11 Mastic Asphalt and Felt Products
2.4.12 Plumbing
2.4.13 Floor Screeds and Mortar
2.4.14 Joinery
2.4.15 Plaster
2.4.16 Plaster Board and other Dry Lining
materials
2.4.17 Wall and Floor Tiling
2.4.18 Suspended Ceiling
2.4.19 Paint
2.6 The Factors of Site Waste In Construction
Industry

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