As a result of increasing recognition of effective site management as the strategic approach for achieving the required performance in construction projects, this study seeks to identify the key site management practices that are requisite for construction waste minimization. A mixed methods approach, involving field study and survey research were used as means of data collection. After confirmation of construct validity and reliability of scale, data analysis was carried out through a combination of Kruskal-Wallis test, descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis. The study suggests that site management functions could significantly reduce waste generation through strict adherence to project drawings, and by ensuring fewer or no design changes during construction process. Provision of waste skips for specific materials and maximisation of on-site reuse of materials are also found to be among the key factors for engendering waste minimization. The result of factor analysis suggests four factors underlying on-site waste management practices with 96.093% of total variance. These measures include contractual provisions for waste minimization, waste segregation, maximisation of materials reuse and effective logistic management. Strategies through which each of the underlying measures could be achieved are further discussed in the paper. Findings of this study would assist construction site managers and other site operatives in reducing waste generated by construction activities.
This study explores the current practices of Design for Deconstruction (DfD) as a strategy for achieving circular economy. Keeping in view the opportunities accruable from DfD, a review of the literature was carried out and six focus group interviews were conducted to identify key barriers to DfD practices. The results of phenomenology reveal 26 barriers under five key barrier categories. The barrier categories to DfD are ‘lack of stringent legislation and policies’, ‘lack of adequate information at the design stage’, ‘lack of large enough market for recovered components’, ‘difficulty in developing a business case for DfD’, and ‘lack of effective DfD tools’. After this, the study identifies the strategies for overcoming these barriers. The paper, therefore, addresses the need for actions within the construction industry to bring DfD to the fore towards achieving the current global sustainability agenda.
The world population currently stands at about 7 billion amidst an expected increase in 2030 from 9.4 billion to around 10 billion in 2050. This burgeoning population has continued to influence the upward demand for animal food. Moreover, the management of finite resources such as land, the need to reduce livestock contribution to greenhouse gases, and the need to manage inherent complex, highly contextual, and repetitive day-to-day livestock management (LsM) routines are some examples of challenges to overcome in livestock production. The Internet of Things (IoT)’s usefulness in other vertical industries (OVI) shows that its role will be significant in LsM. This work uses the systematic review methodology of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to guide a review of existing literature on IoT in OVI. The goal is to identify the IoT’s ecosystem, architecture, and its technicalities—present status, opportunities, and expected future trends—regarding its role in LsM. Among identified IoT roles in LsM, the authors found that data will be its main contributor. The traditional approach of reactive data processing will give way to the proactive approach of augmented analytics to provide insights about animal processes. This will undoubtedly free LsM from the drudgery of repetitive tasks with opportunities for improved productivity.