MATERIAL WASTAGE ON CONSTRUCTION SITES IN THE GAZA STRIP

The Construction sector is one of the main contributors to the Palestinian economy and it is vital for necessary infrastructure development. The sector contributes up to 16 per cent of the GDP, employs approximately 22 per cent of the workforce and absorb up to 34 per cent of international donor programs. Waste has been considered to be a major problem in the Palestinian construction industry, and very little research has been conducted in this area in Palestine. The objective of this paper is to identify and rank the causes of material wastage in construction sites in the Gaza Strip. The research approach adopted in this study was questionnaire survey. Eighty valid questionnaires have been studied and analyzed. The results indicated that the main causes of material wastage are: poor performance leading to rework due to poor concrete placement, using longer steel bars than required, using low quality timbers, re