Identification of Construction Waste Generated at Precast Concrete Plants: Case study

Abstract

The government of Malaysia has introduced Industrialised Building System (IBS) or commonly termed offsite construction in other countries to replace the conventional method of construction, as one of the initiatives to overcome the problems related to waste generation and negative environmental impact in the construction industry. There are few studies of the construction waste generation focus on the offsite, particularly at precast production plant as compared to the construction site. This study aims to investigate the significant type of construction waste generated at precast concrete plants in Johor. In order to identify the type of waste generated in the process of manufacturing the precast concrete component, this study involved field observation to three precast concrete plants in Johor, together with analysing the selected organisation's document on the waste generation and management record. Interviews were also conducted with the production man-ager/engineer to support the data collection process. The findings revealed that, the types of construction waste that commonly found in the precast concrete plants are concrete and steel. The most significant type of waste generated at precast concrete factory is concrete (total 1,298.56 tonnes for 3 factories, followed by 820 tonnes, 350 tonnes and 128.56 tonnes). This study provides useful information concerning waste assessment data to achieve a better understanding of construction waste in the precast concrete manufacturing industry.