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In moving towards sustainable wastes management, the UK Government has adopted a wastes hierarchy. This hierarchy sets out clearly the priorities for sustainable resource use and wastes management: it ought to be the guiding principle of private and public policy, with the emphasis placed strongly on reducing the amount of raw material used. The House of Commons Environment, Transport & Regional Affairs Committee has noted a pressing need to promote wastes minimisation within industrial and commercial sectors and has recommended the introduction of penalties and incentives to encourage industrial wastes minimisation. Despite this, in the food and retailing sector only around 25 per cent of companies were found to operate wastes minimisation programmes. This paper aims to demonstrate the benefits of wastes minimisation, in both financial and environmental terms, for the food and drink sector. Large multiprocess food and drink companies have found they can make annual savings of greater than one per cent of turnover by implementing wastes minimisation strategies.

Waste minimization strategies and the relative significance of construction waste sources were examined using a survey of 24 construction firms operating in Australia. The results indicated that a sizeable proportion of respondent firms did not have specific policies for minimizing waste. Furthermore, while a majority of firms with specific waste minimization policies made efforts to minimize waste at source, i.e. to avoid generating waste in the first place, this minimization was limited to waste generated by site offices and amenities. Potential scope exists for improving the effectiveness of waste minimization at source by addressing the sources of all waste generated during the construction phase. The survey results indicated that the five most significant sources of construction waste were design changes, leftover material scraps, wastes from packaging and non‐reclaimable consumables, design/detailing errors, and poor weather. Potential opportunities for minimizing the amount of waste generated on construction project sites are identified.

In recent years, economic, political and social pressures to adopt sustainable work practices have led to a renewed emphasis on developing effective waste minimisation measures for major construction projects. This research explored the efficacy of measures used for minimising waste in high profile UK‐based projects. The case studies revealed a diverse range of waste strategies, the broader applicability of which was then explored via a questionnaire survey of waste minimisation specialists. The most effective measures were deemed to be those that fostered “waste minimisation partnerships” throughout the supply chain. Questions remain, however, as to whether the industry is culturally prepared for the collaborative relationships necessary to engender radical improvements in waste minimisation performance.

In the food and retailing sector only 25 per cent of companies were found to operate waste minimisation programmes. The benefits of waste minimisation are well proven in both financial and environmental terms. Large food companies have found they can make savings of millions of pounds by implementing waste minimisation strategies.

The growth of Indian economy has brought with it significant increase in construction activities. These increased construction activities have further highlighted the problem of waste generation on construction sites. The purpose of this paper is to provide important insights and highlight some issues related to the implementation of effective waste management practices on construction sites in India.

This paper presents two cases and results from semi‐structured interviews which shed light on some of the major issues, challenges and drivers associated with the implementation of waste management in construction in India.

One of the key findings was that client preference and enforcement of existing laws could actually facilitate the implementation of waste minimisation effectively. Some of the practices being followed, and which are gaining more popularity, are waste quantification, waste segregation, and the implementation of 3Rs (reduce, recycle, and reuse). Congested construction sites, sites in heavily built‐up areas with no ability to have an alternate storage or staging location for materials, lack of ownership of waste due to the presence of multiple contractors on the construction site and lack of awareness and education among the construction workforce were regarded as major challenges associated with the implementation of waste minimisation practices in India.

The cases and the interviewees chosen were through the authors' links with the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The cases were LEED registered projects therefore issues dealing with green construction had been taken into account. These cases might not be representative of the entire country, as there are significantly high proportions of construction projects that are not as green, especially in smaller cities in India. However, the two cases do provide important insights and highlight some issues related to the implementation of effective waste management practices on construction sites in India. The individuals interviewed also had link with IGBC. They had been involved with the green building movement in India for a significant length of time. But the length and breadth of their experience gave them the ability to comment on state of the construction sector and its green as well as non‐green practices associated with waste management.

This paper presents an exploratory study which assesses the implementation of waste management practices in the Indian construction industry. It also highlights activities within different stages of a construction project that can lead to more effective waste management in the construction sector.

The international nuclear community continues to face the challenge of managing both the legacy waste and the new wastes that emerge from ongoing energy production. The UK is in the early stages of proposing a new convention for its nuclear industry, that is: waste minimisation through closely managing the radioactive source which creates the waste. This paper proposes a new technique (called waste and source material operability study (WASOP)) to qualitatively analyse a complex, waste‐producing system to minimise avoidable waste and thus increase the protection to the public and the environment.

WASOP critically considers the systemic impact of up and downstream facilities on the minimisation of nuclear waste in a facility. Based on the principles of HAZOP, the technique structures managers' thinking on the impact of mal‐operations in interlinking facilities in order to identify preventative actions to reduce the impact on waste production of those mal‐operations.'

WASOP was tested with a small group of experienced nuclear regulators and was found to support their qualitative examination of waste minimisation and help them to work towards developing a plan of action.

Given the newness of this convention, the wider methodology in which WASOP sits is still in development. However, this paper communicates the latest thinking from nuclear regulators on decision‐making methodology for supporting waste minimisation and is hoped to form part of future regulatory guidance. WASOP is believed to have widespread potential application to the minimisation of many other forms of waste, including that from other energy sectors and household/general waste.

In the construction industry, it is well known that there is a relatively large volume of material being wasted due to a variety of reasons. The problem of material waste on construction sites is not an isolated issue and is of environmental concern. Therefore, waste minimization has become an important issue in the construction industry. The aim of this research was mainly to identify the pre‐cast contribution to the construction waste minimization in the Sri Lankan construction industry, through a comparison of material waste arising from pre‐cast, ready‐mixed and site‐mixed concrete.

Data were collected from 27 building construction projects and three concrete elements: slabs, beams, and columns, were considered to quantify construction waste. To compare the wastage due to pre‐cast involvement with other types, three categories of building projects were used, including projects using pre‐cast concrete elements, in situ concrete elements – site mix, and in‐ situ concrete elements – ready mix.

The study found that mean wastages of cement, sand and metal in PC elements amounted to 5.34 per cent, 13.86 per cent and 7.62 per cent respectively showing lower values compared with the material wastages in the other two technologies (in situ concrete elements – site mix, and in situ concrete elements – ready mix). Further, statistical t‐test and ANOVA were carried out to ascertain whether these results were significant. Results revealed that there is a significant waste reduction when pre‐cast concrete is used.

The paper provides useful information on pre‐cast contribution to the construction waste minimization in the Sri Lankan construction industry.

This paper aims to assess the level of awareness of quantity surveyors in material management and their key roles in waste minimization during the post-contract stage of the project with a view of achieving value for money in their roles.

This involves administering a questionnaire survey to registered members of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, the only recognized professional body of quantity surveyors in Nigeria, within Lagos state. The empirical questionnaire survey succeeds a literature review that isolates the key strategies used by quantity surveyors in material management and waste minimization at the post-contract stage. The validity of the questionnaire was carried out by two experienced construction industry researchers and three experienced professional quantity surveyors to ensure that the questionnaire was not ambiguous and that it consists of the right questions in tandem with the research. The respondents were grouped into consultant’s QS and contractor’s QS.

Key roles of quantity surveyors during the material management process are proper material storage, and material inventory and accounting are the most important material management and waste minimization practices during the institute stage. It revealed that there is a lack of material waste documentation practices during the construction stage. In addition, there is no statistically significant difference in the responses of the two groups. This may be because there is no clear compartmentalization between the practices of the two groups. In addition, these two groups had the same education training, as there is no difference between the educational training of the consultant’s QS and contractor’s QS.

This study assessed the quantity surveyors’ roles with regard to material management and waste minimization. It would add to the scanty research work in this area. The study has also successfully revealed the strategies that are to be adopted by the quantity surveyors to achieve value for money during the post-contract stage.

In a conventional sense, information technology has frequently been considered a source of Lean waste management. However, as the corporate world evolves, new models that provide a competitive edge by merging technical breakthroughs with the Lean paradigm must be developed. Enterprise resource planning (ERP), which is such technological advancement, is found to be highly influential for Lean implementation. However, there is a dearth of literature on the adaptability of ERP to minimise Lean waste in the construction industry. This paper, therefore, aims to investigate the possibility of applying ERP to minimise Lean waste in the construction industry.

The study used a qualitative approach, consisting of fifteen (15) expert interviews and code-based content analysis was used to analyse the empirical data.

The findings revealed the challenges faced when applying ERP with the Lean concept and the strategies that would help overcome the challenges. Most of the challenges could be overcome through training and awareness programmes and proper team management. The study also found that ERP could be applied with Lean to eliminate waste generation in the construction industry.

This paper contributes to the theory by providing an evaluation of the possibility of adopting ERP to eliminate Lean waste in the construction industry. The study will contribute to new knowledge related to strategies for proper use of ERP for Lean waste minimisation, which will be useful for future researchers in the area.

There is a lack of waste minimization in Vietnam. This study aims to investigate the barriers that are faced in implementing waste management and the extent to which waste management practices are adopted. It recommends improvements to management of waste in Vietnam, with a focus on Ho Chi Minh City.

Using the questionnaire survey approach, data were collected from construction practitioners in Vietnam using the self‐administrated postal survey. Findings were validated via in‐depth interviews with three experts.

There is a lack of awareness about construction and waste minimization in Vietnam. Effective waste management for Vietnam are: employ subcontractors with waste management ability; conduct training; audit and provide close supervision of subcontractors and workers; sequence activities to reduce damage to completed work; set level of wastage allowable; and enforce these through rewards and punishments.

As the survey was conducted on a small sample size of contractors in Ho Chi Minh City, the findings may not be representative of the whole of Vietnam. The data were based on respondents’ perceptions rather than factual records.

The effective strategies identified by this study could be used by construction industry practitioners in Vietnam to reduce waste generated, and thereby undertake construction in a more sustainable manner.

The benefits of better waste management include: improved environmental credentials; savings in disposal and transport costs; revenue from reuse and recycling; and reduced cost of materials.

Vietnam is undergoing infrastructure development, and these construction projects have large impacts on the environment. This study identified areas in which waste management is found wanting, and suggested ways for Vietnam to improve.