Alexandria Engineering Journal (2023) 70, 515–523

H O S T E D BY
Alexandria University

Alexandria Engineering Journal

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Analysis of factors affecting construction and

demolition waste safe disposal in Egypt
ElHassan Reda Ismail a, Ghada Mohamed El-Mahdy a, Ahmed Hussein Ibrahim b,
Ahmed Osama Daoud a,*

a
Faculty of Engineering, The British University in Egypt (BUE), Cairo 11837, Egypt
b
Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Ash Sharqia, Egypt

Received 8 December 2022; revised 12 February 2023; accepted 3 March 2023

KEYWORDS Abstract Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is produced in conjunction with construction
Construction and demolition projects at various phases. In Egypt’s situation, the disposal of CDW issue has grown to be a major
waste; problem, and there is an urgent need to discover a safe disposal method. Based on the exploration
Safe disposal factors; of the literature, three main factors that affect the safe disposal of CDW (SDCDW) were found as
Sustainability; follows: (1) management of route, collection and transportation; (2) determination of illegal waste
Quantitative analysis; dumping sites; and (3) construction waste tracking and scheduling. In this paper, a wide sample of
Egypt construction industry academics and practitioners were approached by an online survey question-
naire for (1) investigating the applicability and effectiveness of SDCDW factors in the Egyptian
construction industry; and (2) examining the relationship between these factors and SDCDW. Dif-
ferent statistical methods were used such as Relative Importance Index (RII) to rank the framework
items. In addition, Bi-variate correlation analysis was conducted to test the effectiveness of automa-
tion techniques included in the framework with respect to the level of agreement upon reaching safe
disposal of CDW. The findings showed that (1) among the various factors, ‘‘selection of the shortest
path transport route” has the highest applicability, while ‘‘detection of CDW illegal disposal sites”
is the most effective factor; and (2) there exist positive statistical relationships between SDCDW and
all of the various factors. The findings show that creating a conceptual framework for SDCDW in
Egypt, which includes these various elements, is necessary as the next research initiative.
Ó 2023 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria
University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

1. Introduction

The construction industry is among the important industries

that contribute to a country’s economic and social development.
* Corresponding author. In 2012, the World Bank published a report predicting solid
E-mail address: ahmed.daoud@bue.edu.eg (A.O. Daoud). waste (SW) will rise from 1.3 billion tons to 2.2 billion tons by
Peer review under responsibility of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria 2025 [1]. Construction and demolition waste (CDW) forms
University.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2023.03.012
1110-0168 Ó 2023 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
516
approximately half of the generated SW annually. Also, in 2017
Transparency Market Research predicted a huge rise in the
CDW’s volumes generated over the following years. For the
Egyptian construction sector, waste in building materials is a
serious issue. [2,3]. Construction and demolition waste (CDW)
has caused resource waste, environmental pollution and ecolog-
ical damage, thus seriously threatening the construction indus-
try’s sustainable development [4]. The lack of dumping sites
that can handle the increasing amounts of construction site
waste is becoming a serious issue. Due to a shortage of desig-
nated waste sites, unlawful dumping on local roadsides is grow-
ing. As a result, the environment is polluted, and toxic
substances from this waste contaminate the soil and drinking
water, endangering the health of nearby populations [5].
Also, the common unsafe disposal and dumping of CDW is
a worldwide phenomenon that affects the environment and
society negatively. In the MENA region, including Egypt, ille-
gal dumping and unsafe disposal of CDW are common in deal-
ing with CDW. Such action led to the increase in the solid
waste problem, which consequently leads to many negative
impacts on the economy, society and environment, represent-
ing the triple bottom line of sustainability (TBL) [6-8]. The
Egyptian government is exerting great efforts in executing
mega construction projects toward implementing the Sustain-
able Development Strategy (SDS) goals for Egypt 2030. How-
ever, many construction and demolition wastes are generated
in the construction of these mega projects, which represents
a major problem in enhancing sustainability.
A widespread issue is the inability to recover significant
amounts of CDW from unauthorised dump sites [9]. Due to
ineffective management, construction and demolition waste is
thrown on roads and infrastructure in Egypt. Additionally,
most dumps are dangerous and don’t take enough safety mea-
sures to prevent waste from self-igniting [10].
Automation in the construction field is wide. It includes all
the stages of construction life, from initial planning then
design, going through the facility’s construction, then its oper-
ation and maintenance, and finally to the eventual dismantling
and recycling of engineering and building structures. The
developments in robotics and computer science have recently
aided in the development of new technologies in the construc-
tion industry field. Japan, a leading country in automation and
robotics, has utilised many new technologies and machinery
which has aided the construction industry to help in construc-
tion cost and project time, reduce human efforts and increase
productivity. Also, automation includes automation in design,
such as using Building Information Modelling (BIM) with its
different dimensions. Also, information communication tech-
nologies tools such as GPS and GIS represent techniques for
automation [11].
Although many previous studies have been done towards
improving CDWM during design and construction stages
through reduction and reuse of CDW, a very limited number
of previous research focused on providing solutions for ensur-
ing safe disposal of materials wastes using automation tech-
niques which has led to the remarkable existence of this
problem till now. Although the Egyptian waste management
law #202/2020 requires that a record of all wastes, including
construction and demolition wastes and methods of their dis-
posal, must be kept besides considering safe disposal of wastes
as one of its obligations, it did not give a recommendation or a
methodology of disposal methods to include automation tech-
E.H.R. Ismail et al.
niques. Accordingly, this paper aims to analyse factors that
contribute to the safe disposal of CDW in the Egyptian con-
struction industry. This would greatly benefit the reaching of
safe disposal of CDW in the Egyptian construction industry.
Based on a study carried out by Ratnasabapathy et al.
[11] about various types of smart and automation technolo-
gies applied to SWM and CDWM, a theoretical framework
for ensuring the safe disposal of CDW (SDCDW) was
formed and presented. This framework is based mainly
on three factors that are derived from the categorisation
of the waste management processes shown in Table 1 that
consist of several items as follows: (1) management of
route, collection and transportation; (2) determination of
illegal waste dumping sites; and (3) construction waste
tracking and scheduling. All these factors represent the
independent variables (IDVs) that are predicted to directly
affect the safe disposal of CDW as a dependent variable
(DV). During this study, the main focus is to investigate
and understand the phenomenon of safe disposal of
CDW (SDCDW).
The specific goals of this study are to: (1) ascertain attitudes
toward the problem of illegal CDW disposal in Egypt; (2) con-
duct a ranking of the different IDVs according to their efficacy
and applicability in the Egyptian construction sector; and (3)
investigate relationships (i.e., bivariate correlations) between
the various IDVs and the DV.
This paper begins by providing a literature review of previ-
ous approaches that utilised automation-based solutions to
enhance construction and demolition waste management.
After this, the research approach used to accomplish the vari-
ous goals listed above is outlined. The results of the data anal-
ysis and investigation of the paper’s aforementioned goals are
then presented. Conclusions and suggestions for additional
research are offered at the end.
2. Literature review
The new Waste Management Law (# 202/2020), which was
adopted by the House of Representatives on August 24, was
signed into law by President Abdelfattah Elsisi on October
13, 2020. By establishing a new regulatory body to supervise
proper waste management and recycling procedures and
design a national strategy to promote waste disposal and recy-
cling, the law represents Egypt’s most recent attempt to con-
trol the waste management business. With the help of this
law, proper waste disposal and recycling procedures will be
regulated by a WMRA (waste management regulatory author-
ity). The task of developing a national waste management
strategy will fall to the WMRA [12].
Article 42 of law #202/2020 states that when carrying out
demolition and construction works, all entities and individuals
shall manage the transportation, recycling, and safe disposal
operations through those licensed. Those licensed to carry
out integrated demolition and construction waste management
activities shall be responsible for recycling or disposing of such
wastes on the sites set for that purpose. In addition, article 43
of law #202/2020 states that the competent administrative
authority in charge of issuing demolition and construction
licenses shall not issue any licenses for such works unless the
applicant provides evidence of contracting with a person
licensed by WMRA to handle demolition and construction
Analysis of factors affecting construction
Table 1 Categorisation of waste management processes.
Waste management process
Selection of site; planning; forecasting; management; estimation; optimization
Management of route, collection, and transportation
Determination of illegal waste dumping sites/waste disposal sites
Sustainable development and public administration
Construction waste tracking and scheduling
Environmental impact assessment
Decision support system for management of generated waste for civil
construction and demolition
3D coordination, review of design, quantity take-off and phase planning for
the management of waste
Estimation of waste
Generation of demolition waste and comparison of performance
wastes. Otherwise, the competent officer shall be subject to dis-
ciplinary punishment. Accordingly, articles 42 and 43 of this
new law show the care for the safe handling of demolition
and construction wastes in Egypt [12].
Using an automated CW estimation framework, a study
done in 2019 proposed various construction waste manage-
ment (CWM) applications that could be integrated into a pro-
ject. Such applications include scheduling of CW disposal, cost
calculation of CW disposal, planning of CW reuse, and CW
bin planning. This methodology was used in a real-world aca-
demic building project at an actual institution and discussed
for a specific waste stream instance. According to the BIM
Materials Quantity Take-off (MQT) usage, estimates of the
formation of concrete waste showed consistency with the
actual concrete quantities indicated in the truck tickets of
CW, with a variance of 5.3%. This consistency demonstrates
the dependability of implementing BIM MQT to increase the
convenience and accuracy of CW quantification [13].
A developed system that is based on BIM for demolition
and renovation waste estimation and planning was mentioned
by Ratnasabapathy et al. [11]. This model provides the oppor-
tunity for dealing with the estimates of the detailed volume
information of each element and material type category, total
demolition and renovation waste volumes, demolition and ren-
ovation waste-disposal fees charged, and the total number of
pick-up trucks for demolition and renovation waste. Accord-
ingly, BIM-based models/systems and integration of other dig-
ital technologies with BIM as a tool of construction
automation through modelling can provide a range of options
to reduce waste production and maximise the use of materials
[11].
Using GIS and a global positioning system, a study done by
Zainun et al. [13] relied on on-site observation to gather data
for illegal dumping in Malaysia’s Kluang region once a week
for three months. The coordinates of the illegal dumping sites,
images, and the type of waste products are the information
that is gathered during the observation. The location of the
garbage is determined using GPS. This study demonstrated
the value of a database created with GIS and GPS for manag-
ing unlawful construction waste dumping. It demonstrated
how pertinent information was acquired for creating the data-
base, which contains details on the mapping, type of material,
photographs, and quantification of unlawful construction
waste dumping.
517
Planning Design Construction Disposal References
stage stage stage stage
p
[14]
p
[11]
p
[14;16]
p
[17]
p
[11;17]
p
[14;18]
p
[11;19]
p p
[11]
p
[11;20]
p
[11;21]
Usage of GPS in coordination with other spatial and com-
munication technologies, especially GIS, aids in tracking waste
collection vehicles for better observation of waste location and
collection time [14]. Unfortunately, the current Egyptian law
for waste management did not give a recommendation or a
methodology of disposal methods to include automation tech-
niques. Also, previous approaches focused on utilising auto-
mated techniques during waste reduction, reuse, and
recycling. However, previous research did not focus on utilis-
ing automation techniques during the disposal stage to ensure
the safe disposal of CDW. Accordingly, a developed automa-
tion techniques-based theoretical framework for safe disposal
of CDW is derived from literature and discussed in the coming
sections of the literature review.
2.1. Theoretical framework derived from the literature
This framework is based on three factors that are derived from
the categorisation of waste management processes shown in
Table 1 that consist of several items as follows: (1) manage-
ment of route, collection and transportation; (2) determination
of illegal waste dumping sites; and (3) construction waste
tracking and scheduling. All these factors represent the inde-
pendent variables (IDVs) that are predicted to directly affect
the safe disposal of CDW as a dependent variable (DV). In a
cause-effect relationship, the ‘‘IDV” refers to the presumed
cause, while ‘‘DV” refers to the presumed effect [15]. IDV rep-
resents a variable of a presumed effect on another variable
(i.e., DV), whereas DV is a variable that depends on IDVs.
Researchers are always curious to understand and predict
DV and how it is affected by IDVs [15].
Each IDV and DV, given the name of ‘‘constructs”, are to
be represented and measured by indicators or items. These
indicators were extracted from an extensive literature review.
For the theoretical framework’s representation, an initial code
is given to each indicator (i.e., item) that is to be used to serve
in the analysis of data. The IDVs, DV, relevant items and
given code for each are shown in Table 2, whereas the theoret-
ical framework is shown in Fig. 1. As represented in Fig. 1, the
theoretical framework in this study consists of three main
hypotheses to undergo an analysis of factors affecting the safe
disposal of construction and demolition waste in Egypt. As
mentioned above, these hypotheses were built on an extensive
518 E.H.R. Ismail et al.

Table 2 Components of the theoretical framework.

Construct (i.e., variable) Type Indicator (i.e., item) Code References
Management of GIS/for route IDV Surveying and computer storage of major waste collection MRCT. [14;11;16;22]
route, collection, and management sites GIS.1
transportation (GIS) Detection of CDW illegal disposal sites MRCT.
(MRCT) GIS.2
Prediction of CDW waste disposal shortest paths MRCT.
GIS.3
GPS IDV Transportation of waste from waste generation sources to MRCT.
disposal sites GPS.1
Selection of shortest path transport route MRCT.
GPS.2
Monitoring of waste collection and disposal MRCT.
GPS.3
Tracking of waste transportation trucks MRCT.
GPS.4
Sensors IDV Accurate control and high accuracy in CDW quantity MRCT.
(SENS) collection and safe disposal SENS.1
Automatic calculation of the quantity of CDW at the start MRCT.
of disposal trip till the end of disposal trip to ensure safe SENS.2
disposal of whole CDW quantity
Determination of Image processing (IP) IDV Detection of more illegal dumping sites through image DIWDS.
illegal waste dumping processing IP.1
sites GIS/ for illegal waste IDV Surveying and computer storage of all illegal waste DIWDS.
(DIWDS) disposal sites dumping sites GIS.1
determination (GIS) Detection of more possible safe dumping sites DIWDS.
GIS.2
Construction waste RFID IDV Tracking and control of wastes from the generation site to CWTS.
tracking & the safe disposal site RFID.1
scheduling Rule-based reasoning IDV Waste tracking and scheduling optimisation through CWTS.
(RBR) taking intelligent decisions based on previously collected RBR.1
data about shortest transportation paths and efficient
planning of waste disposal activities
Safe disposal of CDW DV Reduction of accumulation of CDW in illegal disposal sites SDCDW.1 [11]
(SDCDW) Protection of the environment against pollution SDCDW.2
Improve the life of citizens as a social aspect of SDCDW.3
sustainability

literature review. The aim of this study is to test and validate
the alternative proposed hypotheses (Hn) (i.e., the existence
of the positive effect of the IDV on the DV) against the null
hypotheses (H0) (i.e., no existence of the effect of IDV on
the DV). In other words, the goal is to prove the existence of
sufficient evidence to lead to the null hypothesis H0 rejection
in favour of alternative proposed hypotheses Hn. Accordingly,
the alternative three proposed hypotheses (Hn) are as follows:
– H1: Management of route, collection and transportation
has a positive effect on SDCDW.
– H2: Determination of illegal waste dumping sites has a pos-
itive effect on SDCDW.
– H3: Construction waste tracking and scheduling has a pos-
itive effect on SDCDW.
3. Research methodology
The research methodology uses a ‘‘survey” research style in
order to accomplish the aforementioned goals. When a
researcher wants to look at the following topics: (1) attitudes,
opinions, and organisational practises; and (2) linkages
between various variables, primarily cause-and-effect relation-
ships; the survey technique is useful [23]. It aids in gathering
information from a sizable enough sample in order for the
findings to be generalised. The following subsections cover
each of the phases that make up the research methodology.
3.1. Design of the survey questionnaire
Three main sections were used to form the survey question-
naire. The first section is for the collection of general informa-
tion from respondents. On the other hand, section two
evaluates the respondents’ answers regarding the applicability
and effectiveness of each ICT or smart technology within the
Egyptian construction industry towards ensuring the safe dis-
posal of CDW. Additionally, section three evaluates the
respondents’ level of agreement on achieving the mentioned
outcomes in the questionnaire due to CDW safe disposal.
The questionnaire’s entire set of questions are closed-ended.
There were three different five-point Likert scale types avail-
able. First, the ‘‘applicability” Likert scale was utilised to eval-
uate the suitability of various Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) tools for particular aspects
of construction waste management that are proposed to
directly affect the secure disposal of CDW in Egypt. ‘‘100 indi-
cates ”not applicable at all‘‘ and ”500 indicates ‘‘very appropri-
Analysis of factors affecting construction
Fig. 1 Theoretical framework of the study.
ate” on this scale. On the other hand, the ‘‘effectiveness” Lik-
ert scale—where ‘‘100 denotes ”not at all effective‘‘ and ”500
denotes ‘‘very effective”—was used to assess the effectiveness
of these various automation technologies for the safe disposal
of CDW. Finally, the degree of agreement on the anticipated
effects of the safe disposal of CDW in Egypt toward a more
sustainable building sector in Egypt was evaluated using the
‘‘agreement” Likert scale, where ‘‘100 denotes ”strongly dis-
agree‘‘ and ”500 denotes ‘‘strongly agree.”.
3.2. Pilot testing
A preliminary pilot study was carried out to evaluate the prac-
ticality, clarity, and comprehensiveness of the survey question-
naire [24]. For pilot testing, a minimum sample size of 10
individuals is preferred [23]. 26 people made up the sample
for this pilot test, 16 of them were professionals from the
industry, and the remaining 10 were academics with, respec-
tively, more than ten years of teaching, research, and experi-
ence in industry. Piloting with the aforementioned specialists
led to the development of both content and face validation.
According to the comments from the respondents, it took an
average of about 15–20 min to complete the questionnaire.
Given that the survey questionnaire was to be sent to a
large sample size, as will be detailed later in this paper, it is dif-
ficult to repeat the procedure to get a second round of replies.
Prior to completing the actual research, therefore, the internal
consistency and reliability of the survey questionnaire were
evaluated. Prior to actual data collection, it was crucial to
guarantee that the anticipated answers would be consistent
and that the measuring methods (i.e., Likert scales) are trust-
worthy [25]. Through pilot testing of the survey questionnaire,
519
Cronbach’s alpha was obtained for the questionnaire’s vari-
ables using SPSS V26 software to determine consistency and
reliability. All the values surpassed the 0.7 criterion recom-
mended [26].
3.3. Sample size – Targeted participants
An unlimited number of academics and engineers with spe-
cialties in general civil engineering, particularly in construc-
tion engineering management, waste management, and
sustainability disciplines, were taken into account for the
sample size calculation in this study. By utilising a sample
size calculator provided by SurveyMonkey, the representa-
tive sample size was derived from the complete population
(i.e., unlimited population). To determine the sample size,
enter the following three values into the calculator: (1) Pop-
ulation (i.e., was left empty because the population was
unbounded); (2) Confidence Level%; and (3) Margin of
Error%. The margin of error, which is expressed as a per-
centage, shows how much the results of survey (i.e., sample
mean) can be expected to differ from the population’s actual
views (i.e., mean). The confidence level is a percentage that
reflects the researcher’s level of certainty that the population
will select an answer that falls within the confidence interval
[27]. According to a study done by Conroy [28], it was indi-
cated that 95% is the recommended confidence level for sur-
vey research. Additionally, adopting a confidence interval
between 5% and 10% was advised. As a result, a confidence
level of 95% and a confidence interval of 7.5% were
adopted resulting in a sample size of 133 respondents needed
for this study. The online survey questionnaire for assessing
the applicability and effectiveness of automation techniques
520
included in the theoretical framework for safe disposal of
CDW collected a total of 146 responses which exceeded
the required sample size.
4. Results and discussions
The quantitative analysis for the responses collected from the
online questionnaire was divided into two sections (1) descrip-
tive statistical analysis and (2) multivariate statistical analysis.
Firstly, descriptive statistical analysis was conducted before
heading to multivariate statistical analysis. Descriptive statis-
tics (e.g., mean, cross-tabulation, frequency, and relative
importance index (RII) helps visualise, summarise, and
describe collected data in graphical and numerical formats to
show the various patterns generated from the data. It aids in
understanding the nature of data in a meaningful way before
going to the stage of statistical modelling using multivariate
techniques [29]. Descriptive statistics were utilised to identify
respondents’ demographic information and rank the respon-
dents’ scores on the applicability and effectiveness of proposed
automation tools towards achieving the safe disposal aspects
of construction waste management using RII. Different oper-
ations of descriptive statistical analysis were done using SPSS
V26 software. The analysis of RII was conducted using Micro-
soft Excel 2016Ó software for developing an excel sheet includ-
ing the RII formula for ranking the framework items
according to applicability and effectiveness.
On the other hand, inferential statistics (e.g. correlation
analysis) aids in drawing interferences of predictions from
the data collected, which facilitates conclusions regarding the
existing relationships between various separated variables
from the data collected and generalising them to general con-
ditions [30]. A bivariate correlation analysis was also con-
ducted to look at the relationships between the factors of the
framework. To evaluate the impact of each IDV on the DV
independently, this step is carried out. Correlation analysis is
used to look at the relationships between IDVs and DV. IDVs
are represented in this correlation analysis by the effectiveness
level, whereas the DV is presented by the level of agreement on
achieving the desired results of the safe disposal of CDW. In
this step, the cause-and-effect relationships between each
IDV and DV are scrutinised for relevance.
4.1. Demographic information
The following data was obtained from the general information
section in the survey questionnaire, in which 56% of respon-
dents were from the industrial field, 29% were from the aca-
demic field, and 15% were from both academic and
industrial fields. Regarding respondents’ years of work experi-
ence, 36% of respondents have below 10 years of work experi-
ence, 34% of respondents have 10 to 20 years of work
experience, and 30% of respondents have more than 20 years
of work experience in industrial or academic fields.
4.2. General perceptions and attitudes towards CDW illegal
disposal problem in Egypt
Regarding the respondents’ answers to the extent to which
their firms tend to dispose CDW during project execution
safely; 41% answered that their firms rarely safely dispose
E.H.R. Ismail et al.
CDW during the execution of projects, 27% answered ‘‘some-
times”, 24% answered ‘‘never”, 5% answered ‘‘often”, and 3%
answered ‘‘always”. Regarding respondents’ agreement
towards the necessity of a framework for ensuring safe
disposal of CDW, 72% answered ‘‘strongly agree”, 23%
answered ‘‘agree”, 3% answered ‘‘neither disagree nor agree”,
1% answered ‘‘disagree”, and 1% answered ‘‘strongly
disagree”.
4.3. Applicability and effectiveness of different factors affecting
SDCDW
To evaluate the items (i.e., indicators) of various elements (i.e.,
IVs) contributing to SDCDW, descriptive statistical analysis is
used in this subsection to calculate the mean of replies.
According to respondents’ viewpoints, these topics were rated
on five-point Likert scales based on how applicable they were
to the Egyptian construction industry and how well they
addressed the issue of CDW unlawful disposal there. These
items were given two evaluation codes as a result, one of which
is used to represent the item’s evaluation based on its applica-
bility level (for example, MRCT.GIS.AP.1) and the other of
which is used to reflect the item’s evaluation based on its effec-
tiveness level (e.g., MRCT.GIS.EF.1). As a result, mean and
standard deviation were computed for the various items’
degrees of application and efficacy. The variables under study
were then ranked and rearranged using the RII calculation
[31]. Equation (1), which was first examined by Olomolaiye
and Wahab [32], is used to determine the RII:
P
W
RII ¼ ð1Þ
AN
where ‘‘W” denotes the weights assigned to each item in accor-
dance with its applicability or efficacy. It has a scale of 1 to 5,
with 1 denoting no application or effectiveness at all and 5
denoting intense application or effectiveness. The greatest
weight on the rating scales is ‘‘A.” (i.e., five in this study). N
is the respondents’ total number who were actively participat-
ing. The RII value is between 0 and 1. High RII ratings in this
study suggest that certain items are more applicable or useful
than others with relatively lower RIIs. According to Chen
et al. [33] the ranking importance levels obtained from the rel-
ative importance index analysis are presented in Tables 4 and
5. Items were ranked twice: once according to their applicabil-
ity and once according to their effectiveness. According to
Chen et al. [33] the important levels from the relative impor-
tance index are produced in Table 3.
Table 4 presents the findings of the RII along with the cor-
responding ranking and relevance level determined by the
application levels of the items. The ranking table makes it clear
that the majority of the things (i.e., 10 items) were classified as
Table 3 Levels of Importance.
Levels of Importance Abbreviation Ranging value
High H 0.8 < RII < 1.0
High-Medium H-M 0.6 < RII < 0.8
Medium M 0.4 < RII < 0.6
Medium-Low ML 0.2 < RII < 0.4
Low L 0.0 < RII < 0.2
Analysis of factors affecting construction 521

Table 4 Ranking of items and their descriptive statistics according to applicability.

Construct Item Missing Min Max Mean SD RII Ranking by Overall Level of
category ranking Importance
MRCT GIS MRCT.GIS.AP.1 0 1 5 3.70 0.850 0.740 3 9 H-M
MRCT.GIS.AP.2 0 1 5 3.82 0.819 0.764 1 6 H-M
MRCT.GIS.AP.3 0 1 5 3.82 0.879 0.763 2 7 H-M
GPS MRCT.GPS.AP.1 0 1 5 4.29 0.968 0.858 4 4 H
MRCT.GPS.AP.2 0 1 5 4.36 0.829 0.873 1 1 H
MRCT.GPS.AP.3 0 1 5 4.29 0.924 0.858 3 3 H
MRCT.GPS.AP.4 0 1 5 4.32 1.003 0.864 2 2 H
SENS MRCT.SENS.AP.1 0 1 5 3.27 0.906 0.655 2 12 H-M
MRCT.SENS.AP.2 0 1 5 3.34 0.882 0.668 1 10 H-M
DIWDS IP DIWDS.IP.AP.1 0 1 5 3.33 0.888 0.666 1 11 H-M
GIS DIWDS.GIS.AP.1 0 1 5 3.77 0.797 0.753 2 8 H-M
DIWDS.GIS.AP.2 0 1 5 3.90 0.746 0.781 1 5 H-M
CWTS RFID CWTS.RFID.AP.1 0 1 5 3.08 0.929 0.616 1 14 H-M
RBR CWTS.RBR.AP.1 0 1 5 3.14 0.899 0.627 1 13 H-M

Table 5 Ranking of items and their descriptive statistics according to effectiveness.

Construct Item Missing Min Max Mean SD RII Ranking by Overall Level of
category ranking Importance
MRCT GIS MRCT.GIS.EF.1 0 1 5 3.81 1.119 0.763 2 5 H-M
MRCT.GIS.EF.2 0 1 5 4.05 0.920 0.809 1 1 H
MRCT.GIS.EF.3 0 1 5 3.49 1.195 0.698 3 14 H-M
GPS MRCT.GPS.EF.1 0 1 5 3.69 1.178 0.738 4 11 H-M
MRCT.GPS.EF.2 0 1 5 3.75 1.279 0.749 3 8 H-M
MRCT.GPS.EF.3 0 1 5 3.83 1.133 0.766 1 4 H-M
MRCT.GPS.EF.4 0 1 5 3.78 1.092 0.756 2 7 H-M
SENS MRCT.SENS.EF.1 0 1 5 3.80 1.124 0.760 1 6 H-M
MRCT.SENS.EF.2 0 1 5 3.73 1.179 0.747 2 9 H-M
DIWDS IP DIWDS.IP.EF.1 0 1 5 3.60 1.130 0.719 1 13 H-M
GIS DIWDS.GIS.EF.1 0 1 5 3.65 1.118 0.730 2 12 H-M
DIWDS.GIS.EF.2 0 1 5 3.69 1.060 0.739 1 10 H-M
CWTS RFID CWTS.RFID.EF.1 0 1 5 4.01 1.044 0.803 1 2 H
RBR CWTS.RBR.EF.1 0 1 5 3.84 1.035 0.768 1 3 H-M

‘‘High-Medium,” while the remaining items (i.e., four items)
were classified as ‘‘High” and of ‘‘High” relevance. This shows
that the majority of goods are very appropriate to the Egyp-
tian building industry for secure CDW disposal. Overall,
‘‘MRCT.GPS.AP.200 (i.e., Selection of shortest path transport
route) is the item with a high chance of applicability, and
”CWTS.RFID.AP.100 is the item with the lowest chance of
applicability (i.e., Tracking and control of wastes from the
generation site to safe disposal site).
In contrast, Table 5 reports the RII results together with the
matching ranking and priority level based on the items’ levels
of efficacy. The ranking table makes it clear that two items
were given ‘‘High” importance ratings, while the rest of the
items were given ‘‘High-Medium” ratings. This shows that
practically every item is regarded as having the highest level
of efficacy for guaranteeing the secure disposal of CDW in
Egypt. These ‘‘High” priority items have RIIs between 0.809
and 0.803. The RII for the ‘‘High-Medium” priority level item
is between 0.768 and 0.698. Overall, ‘‘MRCT.GIS.EF.200 (i.e.,
Detection of CDW Illegal Disposal Sites) is the most effective
item between various factors, while ”MRCT.GIS.EF.300 is the
least effective item among many factors (i.e., Prediction of
CDW waste disposal shortest paths).
4.4. Examination of relationships – Bivariate correlation
between independent and dependent variables
Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was calcu-
lated to determine the strength and the relationship’s direction
between the dependent and independent variables. Table 6 pre-
sents the Pearson correlation coefficients matrix between all
variables in the study. The coefficients of correlation state that
there is a significant correlation between all variables;
especially of particular interest is the correlation between the
independent and dependent variables. It is also observed from
Table 5 that there is a significant positive strong relationship
between management of route, collection, and transportation
and Safe disposal ðrð146Þ ¼ 0:719; P < 0:001Þ, while the rela-
tionship between Determination of illegal waste dumping sites
and Safe disposal is moderate since ðrð146Þ ¼ 0:636;
P < 0:001Þ. Finally, the relationship between Construction
522
Table 6 Bivariate correlation analysis.
Management of route,
collection, and transportation
Management of route, Pearson 1 0.672***
collection, and transportation Correlation
P-value
Determination of illegal waste Pearson
dumping sites Correlation
P-value
Construction waste tracking & Pearson
scheduling Correlation
P-value
Safe disposal Pearson
Correlation
P-value
waste tracking & scheduling and Safe disposal is also moderate
since ðrð146Þ ¼ 0:686; P < 0:001Þ.
5. Conclusions and recommendations
The threat posed by CDW to both developed and developing
countries is a global issue. It contributes to around half of
all globally produced SW. The issue is acute in Egypt, where
illegal dumping is a widespread method of addressing CDW
and has detrimental effects on both environment and the soci-
ety. This demonstrates the detrimental effects of CDW on
Egypt’s sustainable growth. Based on previous research, the
following three primary elements, which may aid in SDCDW
was put in a developed theoretical framework that is com-
prised of several factors: (1) management of route, collection,
and transportation; (2) determination of illegal waste dumping
sites; and (3) construction waste tracking and scheduling.
These factors are considered the IDVs affecting the DV,
namely ‘‘SDCDW”.
The aim of this study was achieved as this study added new
knowledge by: (1) ranking the various IDVs according to their
applicability and effectiveness in the Egyptian construction
sector; and (2) examining the relationships between the various
IDVs and the DV using descriptive statistical analysis. The
respondents’ demographic data was investigated. Sadly, the
majority of respondents’ companies did not care about safe
disposal of CDW. The respondents also made clear that they
firmly agreed that a framework is needed to be created to
incorporate these elements into the safe disposal of CDW in
Egypt.
The various SDCDW criteria were rated using the RII
method according to how well they applied to SDCDW in
the Egyptian construction industry. The item with the highest
applicability among the several parameters was discovered to
be ‘‘Selection of shortest path transport route,” while the item
with the greatest effectiveness was ‘‘Detection of CDW illegal
disposal sites”. In order to determine the cause-and-effect
connection between each IDV and the DV, a correlation anal-
ysis was lastly performed. The DV and all IDVs were discov-
ered to have strong positive connections. The next stage in
this research suggests employing the structural equation mod-
elling (SEM) method to conduct a multivariate statistical anal-
ysis of the responses to the survey questionnaire. It is useful to
E.H.R. Ismail et al.
Determination of illegal Construction waste Safe
waste dumping sites tracking & scheduling disposal
0.695*** 0.719***
0.000 0.000 0.000
1 0.580*** 0.636***
0.000 0.000
1 0.686***
0.000
1
test and validate the theoretical framework of various
hypotheses and components in a multiple system in order to
develop a conceptual framework for ensuring safe disposal
of CDW in the Egyptian construction sector. Also, it is recom-
mended to use principal component analysis and analysis of
variance to examine the relationship between the factors and
SDCDW.
Data availability
Data generated or analyzed during this study are not available
due to the nature of this research and inclusion of human
participants.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing
financial interests or personal relationships that could have
appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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