Procedure for Waste Prevention and Management to Implement Best Practices in the Design and Construction of a Building

Abstract

This research develops a Waste Management System (WMS), which can be used during the design and construction stages of a building, and provides best practices for CDW prevention and management. For this, a literature review of studies dealing with best practices for CDW prevention and recycling was performed in order to develop the WMS, which is composed by eight procedures. Furthermore, the WMS was implemented in a construction company and individual interviews were conducted in order to know the main benefits and disadvantages of its implementation. The results of this study show that implementing a WMS improves CDW quantification, because the company obtains its own CDW generation ratio. The ratios will help construction agents to develop and write the CDW Management Plans and Reports and also achieve more accurate waste management costs. Finally, the integration of this CDW system with the company’s environmental management system supports the cohesion of the construction process organisation at all stages, establishes responsibilities in the field of CDW, and providing greater control of the entire process.