CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Abstract

The construction industry produces a large amount of waste and other seemingly useless materials that can be easily disposed of as solid waste. Contractors are primarily responsible for maintaining a sanitary work environment and properly disposing of waste generated in their work area. The unwillingness to implement waste management practises on construction sites is one of the issues confronting the construction industry in terms of reducing environmental impacts and dumping areas. Improper waste management, collection, transition, and transportation processes have been shown to have a significant impact on solid waste characteristics. The major issue in this study is a lack of waste management knowledge and skill, which can lead to improper solid waste management. The rise in the number of unauthorised dumping practises associated with Malaysia's construction industry suggests that Malaysia's construction waste management should be prioritised. The objectives of this research are to identify the challenges in implementing effective solid waste management in construction projects and to recommend improvements in implementing effective solid waste management in construction projects. Survey respondents agreed that solid waste management needs to be improved in order to reduce illegal landfill on sites. To minimise waste, especially solid waste in construction areas, the standard waste management hierarchy includes five critical steps: reuse, reduce, recycle, treatment, and disposal. Construction waste must be pre-treated before being disposed of in a landfill, and it must be treated in accordance with the waste management hierarchy.