Construction material waste causes and their contribution levels: A case study of construction projects in Abuja, Nigeria

With a population of 211 million, Nigeria's construction industry generates about 3 million tons of C&D waste per year. Recovering, recycling, or reusing over 75% of C&D waste is possible. It's widely accepted that waste management methods, technologies, rating systems, and policies must be comprehensive and integrated. Prevention, minimization, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, and disposal are waste management steps. Recycling is unplanned in Nigeria. This study analyses construction project MWG and predetermined materials waste causes. Abuja construction professionals comprise the study. The targeted population was surveyed using convenience sampling and analyzed using frequency, mean score, and Mann–Whitney U test. The study confirms Nigeria's construction waste causes. "Adjustments done without following the agreed-upon blueprints," "Revisions and alterations to the design," and "Spent resources on inefficient forms" are the main causes of construction material waste on Abuja building sites. It also shows that these factors affect MWG at different levels on Nigerian construction projects. Poor supervision is the most responsible for material waste generation, while inappropriate tools are the least responsible. To optimize building projects in Abuja, Nigeria, construction industry players should consider all investigated variables at each stage of their construction processes and waste management strategies.