Construction and Demolition Waste Management Practices in Sarawak: Priority for Regulation, Human Resources and Construction Method

Abstract

Waste management is implemented by destroying and eliminating all waste from any sources of activities such as construction and demolition, minimising the waste, and reusing or recycling it. The primary purpose of managing waste is to reduce the amount of waste generated, and the reduction of waste aims to protect the environment. Improper waste management can cause damage to the ecosystem, increase air and water pollution, and destroy our health. Because of Sarawak's population increase, waste generation is becoming a big challenge. Among the major significant issue is lack of awareness, incompetence of the person in charge, administrative issues, lack of enforcement and poor technology. This study investigates the current implementation of managing construction and demolition waste in Sarawak. A questionnaire set was designed to obtain a perceptive opinion on the waste management practices in construction projects and demolition in Sarawak. A questionnaire survey was designed and distributed to 50 respondents from construction players in Sarawak. The respondents are among the construction players, including architects, contractors and consultants. The finding shows that many construction companies know the importance of managing waste as they have a procedure for managing waste in their construction operation. Moreover, concrete and aggregates list the highest-ranking waste from construction and demolition activities. This study provides mitigation measures and strategies to minimise the problems. It is anticipated that the finding of this study could assist contractors and developers in having a proper waste management system.