Construction Waste Management Practices and Performance of Housing and Water Projects in Nairobi City County, Kenya
Loading...
Date
2018-09
Authors
Gitau, David
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The increase of construction activities due to development in developing countries increases the
generation of construction waste. Effective waste management services can save business money
and benefit the environment at the same time. However, the Nairobi City County faces many
challenges to manage construction waste disposal such as insufficiently stringent legislation, poor
enforcement, inadequate facilities and collection network, low public awareness and lack of
capacity and negligent behaviour of local contractors due to lack of proper construction waste
control and monitoring by the Nairobi City County. This study sought to investigate the influence
of construction waste management practices on the performance of housing and water projects in
Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study sought to establish how project design, procurement,
material handling and reuse, reduce, recycle practices influences housing and water projects. A
descriptive survey research design was used. 95 housing and water construction projects formed
the target population. A census of 285 respondents was carried out. Questionnaire was used to
collect primary data. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such
as correlation analysis and regression analysis. The study established that project design, material
handling, procurement and reuse, recycle and reduce practices had a positive and significant effects
on the performance of housing and water projects. The study concludes that project design
strengthens the owner’s control of the entire design process and minimizes the risks in finance by
contracting with a single firm that is unconditionally committed to the success of the project.
Procurement helps the organization maintain quality and consistency, effectively, drive
compliance and manage risk. Materials handling ensures that the right quality and quantity of
materials are appropriately selected, purchased, delivered and handled on site in a timely manner
and at a reasonable cost. Reuse, recycle and reduce practices are vital part in any waste
management strategy because they help reduce waste handling and disposal costs, by avoiding the
cost of recycling, land filling and combustion. The study recommends that Waste prevention and
reduction in the design phases, project design should focus on reuse and recycling, waste-efficient
procurement, materials optimization, off-site construction; and deconstruction and flexibility.
Prospective contractors should be required in their tenders to indicate the likely waste recovery
targets and key performance indicators that can be achieved on the project given the stage of the
design. Government should introduce specific legislation governing the handling and disposal of
construction wastes and follow up with strict monitoring to ensure compliance. The most effective
environmental solution may often be to reduce the generation of waste and the amount of waste
created using waste prevention measures. Re-use materials to avoid waste being created and where
further reduction is not practicable, products and materials can sometimes be re-used, either for
the same or a different purpose. Recycle materials from site where materials cannot be re-used and
value should be recovered from waste, through recycling, composting or energy recovery from
waste.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the School of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business Administration (Project Management) of Kenyatta University .September, 2018
Keywords
Construction Waste Management Practices, Performance, Housing, Water Projects, Nairobi City County, Kenya