An effective way to reduce residential construction waste: a case study in Texas

Abstract

This research consists of an investigation on the incidence of residential construction waste in Texas. Construction waste has proved to have a negative effect on the economic health of construction companies and on the environment. To evaluate the current methods two waste diagnostic questionnaires were developed to identify the most frequent waste categories present in the job site affecting the final cost of the residential projects, the types of waste and their possible causes. The questionnaires were sent to one hundred and twenty construction companies. Three criteria were used to select companies for the study. First, only private companies were chosen. Second, only companies doing predominantly residential construction works were chosen. Third, only companies who are operating in Texas were chosen. The results showed that wood, drywall and concrete are the most frequent waste categories affecting the final cost in residential projects and waste of materials, over allocation of materials, rework, clarifications, unnecessary handling of materials, inefficient movement of workers, waste of space on site, and delays are the most dominant types of waste occurring in these categories.