Enabling Circular Construction Through Proactive Waste Logistics; The Role of Collaboration and Information Exchange Between Main Contractors and Waste Contractors

Abstract

The construction sector faces a critical challenge due to its high material consumption and massive waste generation, making the transition toward a circular economy (CE) an operational necessity. While circular principles establish clear targets for closed-loop supply chains, practical execution relies on reverse logistics; the planning and movement of materials from the construction site back into the value chain. However, due to the industry’sfragmented nature, waste management is traditionally treated as a reactive support activity plagued by information silos and poor coordination between main contractors and waste contractors. To explore how this interface can be improved, this qualitative single-case study investigates how collaboration and information exchange can be structured to enable proactive waste logistics. The empirical data was collected through a site observation and nine semi-structured interviews at a school construction project in Gothenburg, Sweden, representing the operational roles of the main contractor as well as strategic regional and national managers from a waste management contractor. The findings identify major structural, organizational, and behavioral barriers on-site, including a lack of forward-looking material prognoses, late order-related communication, and a traditional view of the waste contractor as a passive service provider rather than an integrated logistics partner. Furthermore, the study highlights how centralized project budgeting and intense schedule pressures lead to local sub-optimization, where individual subcontractors lack direct accountability and discard mixed waste fractions into shared containers. To mitigate these challenges, this thesis proposes a comprehensive framework for proactive waste logistics emphasizing early involvement, real-time data transparency, a dedicated on-site logistics manager, and structured visual management. Ultimately, integrating the waste contractor as a strategic partner is concluded to be a fundamental prerequisite for bridging the gap between circular ambitions and the operational reality on the construction site.