Elsevier

Waste Management

Volume 120, 1 February 2021, Pages 484-493
Waste Management

Construction waste modelling for residential construction projects in New Zealand to enhance design outcomes

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.10.010Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Waste generation ratio in NZ timber-framed residential buildings is 32.2 kg/m2.

  • Number of stories, working days & external perimeter highly correlate with waste.

  • Board cladding is waste efficient compared to sheet cladding & brick/stone.

  • Buildings with complex design features and longer duration generate more waste.

Abstract

Construction waste generation is a crucial issue in the construction industry worldwide which gives significant negative impact towards the environment, economy and society. New Zealand (NZ) is no exception with the construction industry being responsible for up to 50% of landfill waste. The quantification of construction waste generation is critically important to manage its negative impacts effectively. Due to the differences in materials, technologies and processes in the construction projects, NZ requires more specific data to quantify waste generation accurately. This study analysed waste quantities from 159 detached residential buildings to quantify waste generation rate per gross floor area (WGR). The WGR is 32. 2 kg/m2 which sits mid-range compared to other international studies. A regression model for predicting waste and trend analysis were conducted to identify the highly correlated design features with waste generation. Findings of this study are useful to determine the impact of design decisions on waste generation for typical NZ builds. Although the findings primarily aimed at the NZ construction industry, the results can apply to detached timber-framed homes overseas.

Section snippets

Background

Construction waste minimisation is a global challenge. The waste produced from construction and demolition makes a significant contribution to landfill waste, estimated to be between 16 and 60% of landfill sites worldwide (Uangcharoenrat et al., 2019). With the construction industry being responsible for up to 50% of landfill waste in NZ (Designing Out Waste, 2017), putting NZ at the higher end of the scale internationally, the industry is an obvious target for change. Also, a survey conducted

Research methodology

Quantitative data drawn from direct measurement of waste quantities from 159 detached residential projects provides a basis for the study. Multiple regression was used as the primary research method, alongside trend and WGR analysis. This method allows the explanatory powers of the predictor variables to be isolated, and the effect on the response shown (Neter et al., 1990). Trend analysis allows an insight into the impact of time, while ratio analysis provides a simple mechanism to compare

Dataset

Table 2 provides a summary of the dataset—response variable (Y): waste quantity and predictor variables (xnum). Column headings 0–2 relate to the quantity of the dataset for x2 and x3 and denote the categorical variable x2 answer 0 = house, 1 = house and self-contained flat/granny flat/rental unit.

WGR analysis

WGR for the sample dataset produces a waste rate of 32. 2 kg/m2. The same dataset was reanalysed based on the number of stories in a house. This gives a ratio of 33.72 kg/m2 for a single level home

Conclusion

The WGR in timber-framed detached residential projects in NZ is 32. 2 kg/m2, which is approximately sitting in the mid-range compared to international findings based on reinforced concrete structures. The findings cannot be directly compared due to varying construction technologies, materials use, and industry practices. Nonetheless, the results from this study have produced detailed data for the NZ residential construction industry to understand design decisions have on waste generation, which

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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