Reducing Waste of Construction Materials in Civil Engineering Projects In Iraq

Abstract

There is no doubt there is waste of construction materials in projects.So it is the responsibility of project managers to minimize these wastes. This study aims to determine the major causes ofconstruction materialswastage, to test the willingness of those who are engaged in the building and construction industry towards waste managementand to estimate the percentage of wastage in the main building materials used in construction sites in Iraq.To achieve the aims of this study, a form of questionnaire prepared, which include three sections that question about the causes of wastage, factors that influencing the application of waste management in the country and the wastage's estimated percentages for more common fifteen types of used materials in Iraqi construction sites and compare the results gained with other countries data.The study found that the most important causes of materials wastage at construction projects in Iraqiare lack of on-site waste management plans; frequent changes to design, time pressure, lack of supervision, improper storing of materials; lack of possibilities to order small quantities; lack of skilled workers; theft and vandalism and poor contract documents.Moreover, the study found that both the private and public in the construction sector do not really considered in their plan and given an adequate attention to the management of waste in a construction site in Iraq, in addition, the study revealed that the wastage percentage of materials are ranged between 5% to more than 11% in the Iraqi construction sites.

Keywords

• causes of wastage; waste management; construction materials; waste minimization.