Attitude and behavioral factors in waste management in the construction industry of Malaysia

In Malaysia, there has not yet been any widely published research that has described contractor attitudes and behaviors regarding waste management including waste reduction, reuse and recycling. Taken together, these attitudes and behaviors are crucial to understanding how construction waste management problems might be resolved. As the Malaysian construction industry is still labor-intensive, the attitudes and behaviors of individuals involved in this industry influence its growth and performance. This paper intends to provide insights on how contractor attitudes and behaviors affect waste management in the construction industry of Malaysia. A structured questionnaire survey was implemented in order to interview local contractors. This paper utilizes logistic regression analysis to assess the relationship between various factors affecting contractor attitudes and behaviors regarding waste management. The results show that contractor attitudes and behaviors regarding waste management tend to differ based on the size of the contractor, which is indicated by its group or category. Contractors that have positive attitudes toward waste management also have satisfactory behaviors, supporting Ajzen's theory of planned behavior. The important and significant factors that affect contractor attitudes toward waste management include contractor size, source reduction, reuse and recycling measures. frequency of waste collection, staff participation in training programs and waste disposal method. Factors such as construction-related education among employees, contractor experience in construction works, source-reduction measures, reuse of materials, waste disposal behaviors and attitudes toward waste management are the most significant factors affecting contractor behavior on waste management. These factors influence contractor attitudes and behaviors and are necessary to effectively improve waste management, growth and performance, as well as to reduce the environmental degradation of the construction industry. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.