Waste management practices in the small-scale construction industry
Waste management practices in the small-scale construction industry
The environmental impacts of the construction industry can be reduced through sustainable waste management (SWM). A substantial proportion of the responsibility for improving waste management practices in the construction industry falls on small-scale construction (SSC) firms operating on projects valued under £300,000. Through on-site waste audits and a postal questionnaire survey of SSC firms, we investigated key factors that affect waste generation on SSC sites. The study found a deep-rooted wasteful culture within the SSC industry. Soil and stones, wood and plastic were the major components of the waste stream. It is perceived that a considerable proportion of waste generated is unavoidable because of current working practices. SWM activities were undertaken infrequently by the majority of respondents, with the main reason being a commonly-held perception that SWM is not cost-effective. Considerable scope exists for improving waste management practices on SSC sites, with the most promising measures identified as being the introduction of stock control measures and the use of skips for segregation of specific materials.
978-88-6265-000-7
Williams, I.D.
c9d674ac-ee69-4937-ab43-17e716266e22
Turner, David
39dc4dc8-88b4-4950-8bbd-c647ff110ec9
2011
Williams, I.D.
c9d674ac-ee69-4937-ab43-17e716266e22
Turner, David
39dc4dc8-88b4-4950-8bbd-c647ff110ec9
Williams, I.D. and Turner, David
(2011)
Waste management practices in the small-scale construction industry.
In Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium. S. Margherita di Pula, Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.
CISA Publisher..
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Conference or Workshop Item
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Abstract
The environmental impacts of the construction industry can be reduced through sustainable waste management (SWM). A substantial proportion of the responsibility for improving waste management practices in the construction industry falls on small-scale construction (SSC) firms operating on projects valued under £300,000. Through on-site waste audits and a postal questionnaire survey of SSC firms, we investigated key factors that affect waste generation on SSC sites. The study found a deep-rooted wasteful culture within the SSC industry. Soil and stones, wood and plastic were the major components of the waste stream. It is perceived that a considerable proportion of waste generated is unavoidable because of current working practices. SWM activities were undertaken infrequently by the majority of respondents, with the main reason being a commonly-held perception that SWM is not cost-effective. Considerable scope exists for improving waste management practices on SSC sites, with the most promising measures identified as being the introduction of stock control measures and the use of skips for segregation of specific materials.
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Published date: 2011
Venue - Dates:
Thirteenth International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, Sardinia, Italy, 2011-10-03 - 2011-10-07
Organisations:
Centre for Environmental Science
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 346322
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/346322
ISBN: 978-88-6265-000-7
PURE UUID: 2048e70c-2c86-4860-b399-2c4fb68a0a75
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Date deposited: 05 Feb 2013 15:10
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:22
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Author:
David Turner
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