# Decision-making of construction workers' waste reduction behavior: a study based on Cost-Benefit Theory and Cumulative Prospect Theory

## TL;DR

This study explores how construction workers decide to reduce waste, combining cost-benefit and prospect theories to improve sustainable practices.

## Contribution

A novel decision-making model for construction waste reduction integrating Cost-Benefit and Cumulative Prospect Theories.

## Key findings

- Increasing negative incentives boosts waste reduction decisions but shows diminishing returns.
- Improving the waste reduction atmosphere has a delayed positive effect on behavior.
- Combining management strategies enhances effectiveness by overcoming single measure limitations.

## Abstract

The rapid advancement of industrialization and urbanization has led to a significant generation of construction waste, causing serious resource wastage and environmental pollution. To promote the sustainable development of the construction industry, this study integrates Cost-Benefit Theory and Cumulative Prospect Theory to develop a decision-making model for construction workers' waste reduction behavior (CWWRB), examining the decision-making process under the influence of self-interested motivations and cognitive biases among construction workers. This study, using a construction project in Shenzhen, China, as a case study, assigns variable values and designs management scenarios based on field interview data to simulate the impact of management measures on the decision-making of CWWRB, and the results indicate that: (1) Increasing the negative incentive level significantly promotes the decision-making of CWWRB, but a diminishing marginal effect is observed. (2) Optimizing the atmosphere for waste reduction exerts a lagging guiding effect on the decision-making of CWWRB. (3) Combined measures can compensate for the diminishing marginal effect and lagging effect of single measures, thereby enhancing management effectiveness. The findings not only enrich the theoretical framework for construction waste management but also provide theoretical support for formulating effective management strategies.