This manuscript is a preprint and has not undergone peer review. It is shared to facilitate early dissemination and scholarly discussion. Construction and demolition waste constitutes one of the most pressing environmental challenges facing rapidly urbanising economies. In the South-South region of Nigeria, comprising Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, and Rivers States, the challenge is compounded by weak institutional enforcement, poor waste segregation practices, and limited access to recycling infrastructure. This study develops a contextually grounded framework for Sustainable Construction Waste Management (SCWM) tailored to this region. Using a structured survey administered to 180 professionals across 12 registered construction companies (two per state), data were collected on five constructs: Policy Enforcement, Stakeholder Engagement, Waste Minimisation Practices, Material Recovery and Reuse, and Monitoring and Enforcement. Reliability analysis yielded a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.85, indicating strong internal consistency. Multiple regression analysis revealed that Policy Enforcement, Stakeholder Engagement, and Waste Minimisation Strategies are the most significant predictors of SCWM performance, collectively accounting for 68% of the variance in outcomes (R² = 0.68). Key findings indicate that only 25% of surveyed firms actively engage in waste minimisation, material recovery stands at approximately 45%, and recycling uptake remains low at 25%, attributable primarily to weak enforcement mechanisms and insufficient institutional support. Drawing on these findings and international best-practice comparisons, this study proposes an integrated SCWM framework incorporating regulatory reform, stakeholder collaboration, circular-economy principles, workforce capacity building, and digital monitoring. The framework offers a practical and scalable pathway for reducing construction waste volumes and advancing environmental sustainability in the South-South region of Nigeria.
NWOSA et al. (Tue,) studied this question.