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Construction waste originates from various sources, generally from the inception of construction through to the completion of a building project. Previous research has shown that there is a link between the quantity of waste generated and the way labour is organized in the construction industry. However, these studies have failed to look into the sources of waste with respect to labour utilization and how it influences the generation of waste. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of labour arrangements on construction waste generation, particularly the sources of waste and the attitudes of workers.

Using a combination of direct observations and source evaluations on six case study sites, the waste in direct and subcontracted labour (SL) arrangements was quantified. A questionnaire survey was administered to the workers participating in the observation study to elicit their attitudes to waste and closely linked issues.

The results show that SL produced more waste than direct labour in all three work processes considered. A lack of organizational commitment and effective strategy emerged as the main problem in waste reduction.

Subcontractors should be made responsible for their share of waste generated in a project. Main contractors should record who are “approved subcontractors” based on their performance at site which should include inter alia waste generation. The approved subcontractor method is a way of barring subcontractors from being included on future projects if they do not meet the performance standards of a main contractor.

This study shows that waste generation has a relationship to organizational commitment and strategy rather than to workers’ attitudes. In order to manage construction waste effectively, it has to be considered in the financial equation of a project, because attitudinal changes are difficult to achieve unless there is a personal financial benefit attached to it.