Preliminary Study on Recycling Practices Applied in the Malaysian Construction Industry

Abstract

Construction waste generation has been perceived as a crucial issue that has critical consequences on the project effectiveness and ecological effect of the construction industry. The key objective of the current research is to identify the most common recycling practices applied in the Malaysian construction industry. A well-structured questionnaire was designed based on the 25 identified recycling practices. The developed questionnaire was distributed to 38 highly experienced Malaysian construction industry experts. The collected data were analysed using mean score analysis. The top identified metals are sold to the recycling centres, concrete is used for paving temporary site access, concrete is used as filling for road/road base, timber is used for temporary works and metals are sent to other construction projects. The novelty of this study lies in the systematic identification and empirical ranking of construction waste recycling practices within the Malaysian construction context based on expert perspectives. The study contributes to the social sciences by providing insights into industry stakeholders’ waste management behaviour and decision-making practices related to sustainable resource management in construction projects. The findings will aid construction practitioners in focusing on recycling practices to reduce material construction and demolition waste generation at construction sites.