Identification of Methods of Reducing Construction Waste in Construction Enterprises Based on Surveys

Abstract

The article presents the analysis of the dependence between methods of reducing construction waste and the size of the construction enterprise. The analysis was carried out for the following construction products: steel, concrete, wood, and small-sized (ceramic, concrete) and finishing (ceramic and stone tiles) products. Based on the literature review, the 13 most frequently used methods of reducing construction waste were identified. Surveys were then conducted among 140 construction enterprises. The research was conducted in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. In order to test whether there is a relationship between the used waste-reduction method for a given construction product and the size of the enterprise, the Pearson chi-square test of independence was used. The null hypothesis and the alternative hypothesis were formulated, and the critical level of significance α = 0.05 was adopted. The results were statistically significant for 7 methods of reducing construction waste. The identified methods include appropriate storage, the training of employees in the field of waste management, the use of monitoring systems, the appropriate transport and unloading of products, the appropriate involvement of subcontractors, the use of prefabricated elements, and the reuse of products on the construction site. Based on the conducted research, it was found that these methods are more often used with an increase in the size of the enterprise. The presented analysis emphasizes the urgent need to improve, integrate, and adjust the promotion of both the reduction of construction waste and the benefits of this reduction in construction enterprises, especially those of the smallest size.