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As construction and demolition(C&D) waste is one of the main solid waste generators in Hong Kong, its impact on the environment has become an imperative issue to the involved stakeholders. Although, C&D waste management has been receiving increasing attention from stakeholders and researchers since the early 1980s, how to manage C&D waste efficiently and effectively is, however, still in its early stages. Past research on C&D waste management has mainly focused on the separate aspects of waste management including waste reduction, reuse, recycle and response. A new approach is made in this paper to improve C&D waste management.

A simulation model is developed based on system dynamics methodology for strategic planning of C&D waste in Hong Kong by incorporating the relationship of major activities inherently involved in C&D waste management.

Finds that such an integrated simulation model will have the potential to assist decision makers and practitioners to better understand the complexity of information and processes involved in managing C&D waste throughout a project's life‐cycle.

This has shown that management of C&D waste can be facilitated by means of system dynamics to provide a better understanding of the dynamic interactions and interdependencies of the key areas of the C&D waste management process.

The capacity of landfills will reach saturation in the 2020s. There are more than 50,000 buildings in Hong Kong over 30 years old and which may require extensive refurbishment under the Mandatory Building Scheme. Additionally, most new owners/tenants tend to renovate their premises before moving in. Hence, there is an urgent need in Hong Kong, to explore strategies and measures to enable the development of effective refurbishment and renovation (R&R) waste management for such projects. The objectives of this paper are to investigate the process of R&R for identifying the perceived barriers and thereby the strategies for minimisation and management of R&R waste in Hong Kong.

Desktop study, semi-structured interviews, site observations and document reviews were used as the data collection methods to achieve the objectives of this research. Considering the nature and characteristics of the industry structure, the snowball sampling process was deployed for data collection. Thematic analysis and content analysis were used for data analysis. Waste minimisation and management strategies for R&R projects were then discussed and developed by the research team and a focus group meeting was held to validate the research findings. Six strategies were then proposed to the government.

R&R projects contribute 10–20% of the construction and demolition waste. The barriers to recycling of R&R waste can be grouped into six major categories: (1) lack of sorting and storage spaces, (2) high cost, (3) insufficient government supporting policy, (4) complicated recycling processes, (5) immature recycling market and (6) insufficient public education. Also, six strategies are proposed in this study, which include (1) pre-refurbishment audit, (2) development of recycling market, (3) sea reclamation, (4) incineration, (5) government support and (6) education and research.

The strategies and measures proposed in this research could most adequately serve as reference for the government officials, building professionals and academic researchers. Such knowledge would make possible the development of effective strategies and measures for minimising and managing R&R waste.

This paper aims to address convenience as a prominent feature of a scheduled society and examines the nature of convenience, identifies the waste collection system and recycling programmes in some densely populated areas in Asia and discusses the existing barriers to enhancing the convenience of the recycling facilities in Hong Kong. The paper further identifies some recommendations for the policy and design of recycling practices and facilities.

In this qualitative study, two districts in Hong Kong from 2013 to 2014 were used as case studies. The research methods included field observations, semi-structured interviews and ethnographic research. The locations for field observation included lobbies, corridors, lifts, ground floors and streets. Direct interviews were conducted with residents, cleaners, government officials and expert planners and environmentalists. In-depth interviews and observations were conducted with six families following the interviews to identify important issues that might have been ignored in the semi-structured interviews and field observations.

A holistic understanding of convenience in a scheduled society is effective in the design of high-quality recycling facilities. In terms of convenience, the gap between recycling and not recycling is rather obvious in Hong Kong. Therefore, it is necessary and important to adjust the difference in the degree of convenience regarding refuse disposal and recyclable collection. In addition, the enhancement of economic incentives could shift the degree of convenience and encourage public participation in recycling. The challenges of specific living conditions and social contexts should also be taken into account to enhance the convenience of recycling.

Further case studies are expected in other countries and cities with the purpose of gaining an in-depth understanding of the means by which to approach the convenience of recycling programmes within various social contexts. Comprehensive and continuous studies on these factors are recommended throughout the design and implementation processes to account for constantly changing situations. A clear understanding of convenience from the perspective of the users is important.

The findings provide reference and direction for a holistic approach to the design and management of recycling facilities in Hong Kong. The findings also advocate the consideration of convenience from the perspective of the users.

The findings illustrate how to design and manage public facilities for waste recycling in ways that encourage household and community participation in terms of convenience.

The paper identifies the manner by which the culture of convenience and an institutionalised rhythm influence recycling practices. Although substantial studies on recycling indicate that convenience is a necessary characteristic of designs and services, the nature of convenience and the means by which to approach convenience in terms of public facilities are seldom discussed. The paper proposes several recommendations on the basis of the studies of the refuse collection programmes in other areas of Asia and case studies in Hong Kong. The findings provide insights for policymakers, researchers and designers to improve the design of public facilities.

The purpose of this paper is to review the current refuse collection systems available in major conurbations such as Hong Kong and to explore better solutions to alleviate the negative impacts of local domestic waste treatment.

This paper first reviews and evaluates current refuse collection methods in Hong Kong. Second, the social acceptability and financial viability of these alternative systems are investigated by means of a questionnaire survey. After analyzing the data, guiding solutions for local domestic waste treatment are developed.

The literature has shown the characteristics, the strength and the weakness of refuse collection systems commonly found in major conurbations. The questionnaire survey indicated that Hong Kong citizens supported or preferred an automated refuse collection system that could treat the refuse in a more hygienic way. Though the occupants were willing to make some financial contributions, they were unwilling to pay the amount money required to support the operation of the system.

The study has not yet confirmed statistically the relationship between residents' health and refuse collection methods. Therefore, further researches should be carried out in future with more extensive data collection to pinpoint health hazard induced by refuse collection process.

This paper provides information about major refuse collection systems available in the territory, shows the perceptions and different preferences of the residents on those systems taking account of the costs they could bear. It proves the value reference for good building management.

This study aims to examine management attitude and awareness towards green logistics, explores the external conditions that drive and restrict its positive behaviour, investigates the level of its adoption amongst logistics service providers (LSPs) and determines the major barriers affecting its application in the industry.

This research investigates the key decision-making process on green logistics attitude and behaviour through in-depth interviews and thematic analysis.

This study explores both institutional and individual-level attitudes/awareness. Then, the driving and restraining forces and the challenges that influence the industry’s adoption of green initiatives are determined. Finally, this study constructs a framework following a behavioural driving route with interactions among green “attitude”, sustainable “subjective norms”, “behavioural control” and “external context” factors.

Findings can enlighten the practitioners who are struggling to adopt the green or low-carbon practice and provide valuable insights and constructive advice to LSPs and their stakeholders.

Findings can draw the government and policy-makers’ attention to provide necessary financial or non-financial support for the practitioners to improve their green operations.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first attempts to adopt the hybrid theoretical lens on the green behaviour of the logistics industry. New insights are added to existing environmental management literature with a wider understanding and deeper investigation of the decision-making on green logistics in the industry. The theoretical framework in this study can offer future applications to a relevant large-scale study.

An understanding about the criteria determining the successful application of green features, and the barriers to implementation is essential in order to promote and enhance green building development. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, the criteria determining the success of GBFs; and second, the barriers to implementing GBFs in Hong Kong.

A multi-method approach comprising a comprehensive questionnaire survey and a semi-structured group discussion with construction professionals, along with three case studies was adopted to address these two issues.

Findings suggest that although environmental performance is the most significant criterion, the living quality of occupants and the costs of green features play a crucial role in determining the success of their application. However, the environmental aspects of buildings are not sufficient for rating or determining the greenness level of a building. As for barriers, the green cost implications; the structural unsuitability of the current stock of old buildings; and the lack of financial incentives were found to be crucial barriers preventing the application of green features in the Hong Kong building sector.

GBFs have received extensive attentions by the academia and industry. This paper used a mix method approach by exploring success criteria and barriers to implementing green features in the building sector in Hong Kong. As green building development is still a contemporary subject of discussion, this study would be beneficial to decision makers as it identifies the criteria determining the success of green building adoption and barriers to implementation of such features. Hence, relevant stakeholders will have better understanding of the factors affecting the adoption of GBFs.

The use of prefabrication has been considered as one of the most effective waste minimization methods in the construction context; however, the industry has found difficulties to implement it. Contractors lack experience in using prefabrication and they do not know how to implement prefabrication to their projects effectively. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a study on the implementation of prefabrication in the context of different project types and procurement approaches.

This paper examines possible project types and procurement methods to maximally gain benefits of using prefabricated building components. A questionnaire survey and structured interviews have been conducted.

From the results, it should be noted that residential projects and design and build procurement methods are the most effective project types and procurement methods, respectively, in using prefabrication. In the interview discussion, one of the governmental employees highlighted that about 65 percent of projects are residential projects. The high supply of residential housing suits fast population growth in Hong Kong. The interviewee also explained that shortening construction period is one of the main goals in their projects. Furthermore, an interviewed main contractor highlighted that the involvement of contractors at the early design stage in a project can bring advantages in considering construction methods before project commencement on site and to improve project constructability. An interviewed subcontractor also explained that the involvement of construction organizations in the design stage can effectively improve the use of prefabrication in major activities including concreting, plastering and formworking, rather than wet‐trade construction activities. Therefore, the use of standardized designs and prefabricated building components are highly encouraged.

This brings early considerations and suggestions to project parties to improve prefabrication implementation. The effects of prefabrication implementation are also considered.

This study aims to evaluate the generation of food waste in a university and the handling efficiency of an automatic waste collection system.

The quantity of food waste generated and collected from a university canteen was surveyed. The food waste handling efficiencies using manual collection strategy and automated food waste collection system were determined by the density of food waste. Life-cycle costing analysis was done to evaluate the economic impacts of various food waste collection methods.

As compared with the manual collection approach, the automatic system can improve the food waste handling efficiency by 30% (from 0.01 to 0.007 bin kg⁻¹) and reduce the water use by 20% (from 0.512 to 0.406 L kg⁻¹); however, it also consumes 4.4 times more energy (from 0.005 to 0.027 kWh kg⁻¹). Under ideal system operation, the 10-year cost of food waste collection was significantly reduced from $3.45 kg⁻¹ in the manual collection to $1.79 kg⁻¹, and the payback period of the system collection was 1.9 years without discount.

The outcomes of this study show that an automatic food waste collection system is feasible, and it is recommended for small- and medium-sized catering facilities (e.g. canteens and food courts) to improve food waste handling efficiency. This study also provides useful reference data of automatic food waste collection systems for planning food waste management programs for catering facilities.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the waste handling efficiency, operational expenditure and life-cycle cost of a small-scale automatic food waste collection system.

Given increasing user aspirations for comfort, connectivity, health, safety and security, the building services subsector now plays an even greater role in construction. It also contributes heavily to construction debris. Hypothesising that improved materials control can help reduce construction debris considerably, this paper aims to investigate relevant critical production shortcomings that generate construction debris in building services works.

Relevant previous research studies on main causes of waste are first reviewed. Findings from a brainstorming exercise at a focus group meeting provide the basis for a series of structured face‐to‐face interviews with experienced site supervisors. Subsequent analysis of the interview findings, together with deductive reasoning, leads to the development of the proposed improvement strategies.

The most significant causes of production shortcomings identified in the study are poor coordination of processes or trades, inappropriate site storage and inadequate protection of materials. Industrial management principles help to develop suitable building services storage principles and to propose an industrial flow pattern incorporating barcoding and RFID tracking technologies.

These findings are a useful comparative reference for other countries, where the study methodology may be replicated to generate region‐specific findings.

By applying the suggested proposals at the material control stage, this important but little studied subsector can both reduce production shortcomings and help lessen the burden on local landfills by reducing “conflicts” between competing resources and storage areas, and by the early mobilisation of specialist contractors to resolve uncertainties and reduce rework.

The construction industry struggles in environmental and economic performance due to waste generation. Several studies have measured this waste in the construction industry of developing countries like India, Brazil, China, Nigeria and Iran, and proposed strategies to enhance the overall efficiency. But no such work exists in Pakistan's context. The construction industry of Pakistan contributes significantly to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). And with several mega projects in progress to overcome the energy crises and improve the infrastructure of the country, the absence of proper waste management policies and plans calls for empirical research. Therefore, this study quantifies and benchmarks material waste in the local context, its impact on project cost and the effect of multiple subcontracting arrangements on waste generation. It also proposes a conceptual waste management plan (WMP) for local conditions which can be generalized for developing countries.

This paper uses a mixed research approach by leveraging Saunders's research onion model. To benchmark the current wastage practices, quantitative data of material waste in the Pakistani construction industry are gathered through document review of accounting systems, inventory and payment records of 40 completed building projects. Using the data, the waste rate of different materials is measured along with their impact on cost. Additionally, the role of subcontracting arrangements in waste generation is also investigated. Also, semi-structured interviews are conducted with project managers of high- and low-performing construction organizations to propose a conceptual WMP for the local industry and developing countries.

The highest wasteful materials by quantity are wood, sand and concrete blocks, and those by cost are wood, bricks and steel. By quantity, 123% more material was used on average than the actual productive work. Also, the labor only (L-O) subcontracting arrangement causes maximum waste. Moreover, the difference between the highest (155%) and lowest wasting company (104%) is 51%, highlighting the proactive and resistive waste management culture and approach by the worst- and best-performing companies. Further, the impact of waste quantities is more than 2% of the project cost. Finally, a conceptual model consisting of measures at the project, industry and national levels is also proposed as a guide for developing countries.

The findings of this benchmarking study can help improve the project planning, execution and monitoring, and control practices by providing a better understanding of the material waste potential. This will help economize the construction industry and improve its sustainability.

This is the first benchmarking study that quantitatively measures material waste in the construction industry of Pakistan. It highlights that costly as well as sustainability-implicating materials are frequently wasted in the local construction projects. Also, this study correlates the wastage with subcontracting arrangements. Additionally, an original conceptual WMP is proposed that could help the industry improve its performance. The findings could help the construction professionals identify the loopholes in their material management practices and not only save money but also ensure better sustainability.