Development of maturity model for the assessment of construction waste management

The rapid population growth and industrialization have accelerated urban development and led to a surge in construction projects. This recent surge has generated substantial construction waste (CW) that negatively impacts social, economic, and environmental aspects. Effective construction waste management (CWM) is crucial to minimize this waste. Building contractors play a vital role in minimizing CW, as they are directly involved in material handling and usage during construction. However, there is a limited availability of actionable tools for them to implement and improve their CWM. This study aimed to develop a maturity model for assessing construction waste management (CW3M) to assist building contractors in assessing their CWM performance and identifying areas to enhance their capabilities. The objectives of the study include identifying attributes that determine CWM capability, exploring the concept of maturity models for assessing CWM, developing the CW3M model, implementing and validating the model, and drawing conclusions and recommendations for its application. The model was developed using an approach that included a literature review, expert verification, factor analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis, model tool development, model implementation, and model validation. This study began by identifying relevant attributes through a literature review. It was then followed by an expert verification process involving 32 experts, with analysis using item-total correlation and Cronbach’s alpha to ensure validity and reliability. A total of 42 attributes were retained after the expert verification. A survey incorporating these attributes was administered to 304 construction professionals in Cambodia and Thailand with experience as building contractors and familiarity with CWM practices. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was then conducted to group the attributes and name the factors, which was confirmed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), resulting in a final 27 attributes across five key factors. These attributes and factors were used for pairwise comparisons with 10 experienced construction professionals through interviews, employing multi-criteria decision analysis using the Best Worst Method (BWM). From BWM, local weights were assigned to all attributes and factors, and then global weight was calculated and normalized, referred to as global standardized weight. These global standardized weights and refined maturity levels were used to develop the CW3M model. The model comprised 27 attributes categorized into five key factors: governance and policies (8 attributes), materials and equipment (8 attributes), requirements and specifications (4 attributes), construction information systems (4 attributes), and waste collection facilities (3 attributes). The CW3M model was implemented by experts from 16 building contractors in Cambodia and Thailand. Following implementation, the experts provided feedback as part of the model validation process. With these results, the CW3M model was validated as being appropriate, reliable, and suitable for building contractors to assess their current CWM performance and identify areas to enhance their capabilities.The findings of this study provide a valuable guide for building contractors to enhance their CWM. Validating the CW3M by building contractors will ensure its industrial relevance and practical applicability. Ultimately, the results indicate that the application of the CW3M model has the potential to support more sustainable construction practices by minimizing CW, which will contribute to sustainable construction, mitigate social, economic, and environmental adverse impacts, and promote sustainable development.