Exploring the Relationship between Materials Procurement and Waste Minimization in the Construction Industry: The Case of Egypt

Ahmed Osama Daoud^1,2*, Ayman Ahmed Othman³, Herbert Robinson⁴, Ali Bayyati⁵

1. ¹Assistant Lecturer, Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, the British University in Egypt (BUE), Cairo-Suez Desert Road, Al-Shorouk, 11837, Cairo, Egypt.
2. ²PhD Researcher, School of Built Environment and Architecture, London South Bank University (LSBU), 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA.
3. ³Professor of Construction and Project Management, Head of Architectural Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, the British University in Egypt (BUE), Cairo-Suez Desert Road, Al-Shorouk, 11837, Cairo, Egypt.
4. ⁴Professor of Project Management and Strategy, School of Built Environment and Architecture, London South Bank University (LSBU), 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA.
5. ⁵Senior Lecturer, School of Built Environment and Architecture, London South Bank University (LSBU), 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA.

Published in The Fourth NZAAR International Event Series on Natural and Built Environment, Cities, Sustainability and Advanced Engineering, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 January 2018, pages 76 to 85. New Zealand Academy of Applied Research. ISSN 2463-5979 (online), 2463-5960 (print). Indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, Conference Proceedings Citation Index (Clarivate).

Abstract

Construction projects suffer from materials waste generated at different stages. This does not only lead to financial loss to construction companies but also lead to negative impacts on the environment. In Egypt, many megaprojects are currently being constructed as one of the main pillars of Egypt’s sustainable development strategy (SDS) 2030. This means that significant amount of construction materials are likely to be generated as waste during their execution. There is very limited research exploring waste minimization during the materials procurement stage. Ineffective materials procurement strategies can generate waste due to poor planning and management. For example, materials procurement contributes 11.12% of materials waste in the UK and contributes up to 50% towards total project cost. This paper examines the relationship between materials procurement and materials waste reduction in the construction industry to develop an effective materials procurement framework drawing on the specific challenges and experiences in Egypt.

Keywords: Materials waste; Waste minimization; Materials procurement; Sustainable development; Egypt

Rights

Copyright © New Zealand Academy of Applied Research Ltd 2018. All rights reserved. Reproduced in the GDI Academy archive from the original proceedings without change to the authors’ text.