Changing the Environmental Culture of the Construction Industry

Being one of the biggest consumers of nature, it is not surprising that the construction industry has become the target of environmentalists and, more recently, government attempts to manage the environment more effectively. The construction industry needs to improve its environmental record and changing people's wasteful behaviour can make a significant contribution. This paper describes a research project which used Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour to investigate the attitudinal forces which shape wasteful behaviour on site. It concludes that site operatives' see waste as an inevitable by-product of construction activity. Although attitudes towards waste management are not negative, they are pragmatic and impeded by perceptions of a lack of managerial commitment. Waste management is perceived as a low project priority and there is an absence of appropriate resources and incentives to support it. Suggestions are made to bring about a more positive environmental culture on construction sites.