Quality Management as a Tool to Minimize Construction Waste Towards a Sustainable Built Environment: The Consultants’ Perspective

Abstract

The construction sector is responsible for a significant volume of waste, largely attributable to inadequate resource management in building projects. This study explores the management of construction waste in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria, from the perspective of consultants. The investigation utilizes a structured questionnaire as a methodological instrument. The responses were then subjected to analysis using IBM-SPSS version 26 software and evaluated on a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. The Relative Importance Index (RII) was computed with Microsoft Excel to assess the relative importance of the factors in question. The findings of the study revealed a total of 17 factors contributing to wastage issues; however, RII pinpointed the top 10 most crucial factors related to waste causation issues. The mean score for Poor Materials Handling and Storage was 4.57, according to the analysis results obtained. Pearson product correlation analysis revealed a correlation between designers and complicated design, specifically within the technical factor category, indicating statistical significance in this area. No significant correlations were identified within sections such as management factors, worker factors, and external factors. The findings of the present study demonstrate that the implementation of a quality management system has the potential to reduce construction waste, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable built environment in construction projects.