A culture-based solution for construction and demolition waste management in Sri Lanka: a literature review

Abstract

Construction projects consume bulky amounts of materials, natural resources, and energy and at the same time generate unacceptable level of solid wastes. There are strategies implemented in order manage the construction and demolition wastes in Sri Lanka. However, most of those have become unsuccessful due to the policy makers being unable to consider the cultural factors stemming from socio-economic factors, while implementing such strategies. Thus, this paper aims at deriving a culture-based solution for construction and demolition waste management in Sri Lanka. This aim is achieved through a broad literature review. As per the extent literature, the main cultural manifestations describing the cultural context of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste management include values, attitudes and behaviours. Accordingly, Sri Lankans hold many positive values, however majority of attitudes and behaviours are of negative in nature. According to literature, these cultural manifestations exists in a hierarchical order with attitudes being influenced by values and behaviours being influenced by attitudes. Nevertheless, positive values of Sri Lankans are not reflected through the attitudes and behaviours of C&D waste management, requiring thorough empirical studies to justify the dynamisms of value-attitude-behaviour hierarchy in Sri Lankan context. In addition, if these cultural manifestations related to C&D waste to be managed, a reverse cycle to the value-attitude-behaviour hierarchy should be considered, which is introduced as ‘cycle of culture management’ through this paper.