Mitigating Construction Waste in Saudi Arabia's Mega-Projects: An Environmental Engineering Perspective
Saudi Arabia's ambitious Vision 2030 is driving an unprecedented boom in mega-projects, transforming the Kingdom's landscape. However, this rapid development brings significant environmental challenges, particularly concerning construction waste. A 2025 study published in Sustainability investigates the primary factors contributing to waste generation in these large-scale projects, offering crucial insights for environmental engineering and sustainable development.
The construction industry is a major contributor to global waste, with Saudi Arabia's sector generating substantial volumes that negatively impact the environment and socio-economic sustainability. The study, based on data from 239 participants across three distinct mega-projects, identifies key waste cause factors (WCFs). These include design changes and complexity, poor project coordination, inefficient waste management systems, lack of supervision, drawing errors, and low skill levels among workers and designers, as well as procurement mistakes.
From an environmental engineering standpoint, understanding these WCFs is critical for developing effective waste management strategies. The current reuse and recycling rate in the Saudi construction sector remains low (around 14%), highlighting an urgent need for improved practices. By addressing the root causes of waste, such as optimizing design processes to minimize material excess and implementing robust waste segregation and recycling programs on-site, the environmental footprint of these mega-projects can be significantly reduced.
The research emphasizes that effective waste management is not merely about disposal but about a holistic approach that integrates environmental considerations from the initial design phase through to project completion. This includes promoting circular economy principles, where waste is viewed as a resource, and fostering collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and construction professionals to drive innovation in sustainable construction practices. Ultimately, mitigating construction waste is essential for Saudi Arabia to achieve its Vision 2030 goals of sustainable prosperity and environmental stewardship.
Key Environmental Engineering Aspects:
• Waste Generation and Impact: Understanding the scale and environmental consequences of construction and demolition waste, including resource depletion and landfill burden.
• Waste Cause Factors (WCFs): Identifying the specific operational and managerial issues that lead to waste, such as design flaws, poor planning, and inadequate supervision.
• Waste Management Strategies: Developing and implementing effective strategies for waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and proper disposal to minimize environmental harm.
• Circular Economy Principles: Advocating for a shift from linear (take-make-dispose) to a circular model where materials are kept in use for as long as possible.
Statistical: Construction Waste Reuse and Recycling Rate in Saudi Arabia
| Category | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Current Reuse / Recycling | 14% |
| Landfilled | 86% |
References:1 Alotaibi, S., Martinez-Vazquez, P., & Baniotopoulos, C. (2025). Factors Causing Waste in Construction of Mega-Projects: Case Studies from Saudi Arabia. Sustainability, 17(9), 4011. https://doi.org/10.3390/su170940112 Bilal, M., Khan, K. I. A., Thaheem, M. J., & Nasir, A. R. (2020). Current State and Barriers to the Circular Economy in the Building Sector: Towards a Mitigation Framework. Journal of Cleaner Production, 276, 123250. (Cited by 276)3 Fathalizadeh, A., Hosseini, M. R., Vaezzadeh, S. S., Edwards, D. J., Martek, I., & Shooshtarian, S. (2022). Barriers to Sustainable Construction Project Management: The Case of Iran. Smart and Sustainable Built Environment, 11(3), 717-739. (Cited by 22)