Abstract
Sustainable waste management practices are fast gaining traction, both locally and internationally. This is critical since the environment, roads, building infrastructure, and communities are all immensely impacted by poor waste management. Further, public health is also jeopardised by inadequate waste management systems because they facilitate the growth of disease-carrying rats at unregulated local landfills. They harm the environment by illegally disposing of rubbish, leaving waste lying around, and contaminating groundwater sources and streams. The failure of drainage systems, particularly stormwater management, is a significant problem for the built environment. Building and road drainage system blockages resulting from improper waste management eventually affect the built environment and are very expensive to repair. Poor waste management may also culminate in problems such as flooding, which endangers people's lives. Assessing waste management systems in South Africa’s built environment is important because of the critical role these systems play in mitigating the impact of construction and demolition waste. To collect data relevant to answering the study’s key research questions that focused on identifying current constructive waste management practices, their effectiveness, challenges, and measures to improve construction waste management, a quantitative approach was adopted. The data was generated using a survey method and a questionnaire was administered to various stakeholders in the construction sector. The researcher administered a questionnaire to 117 respondents. The results were analysed using the Statical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). They indicated how waste is managed in the South African built environment, including the benefits of good waste management, the risks of bad waste management, and how these risks can be mitigated. These results are important as they add valuable insights to the body of knowledge on waste management, and its implications for both research and practice.