Influence of labour arrangement on construction material waste generation

Purpose – Construction waste originates from various sources, generally from the inception of construction through to the completion of a building project. Previous research has shown that there is a link between the quantity of waste generated and the way labour is organized in the construction industry. However, these studies have failed to look into the sources of waste with respect to labour utilization and how it influences the generation of waste. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of labour arrangements on construction waste generation, particularly the sources of waste and the attitudes of workers. Design/methodology/approach – Using a combination of direct observations and source evaluations on six case study sites, the waste in direct and subcontracted labour (SL) arrangements was quantified. A questionnaire survey was administered to the workers participating in the observation study to elicit their attitudes to waste and closely linked issues. Findings – The results show...