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The Hong Kong government has implemented various measures to reduce waste, including a waste disposal ordinance, a green manager scheme, a waste reduction framework plan, a pilot concrete recycling plant, waste management systems and a landfill charging scheme. However, there are difficulties in implementing the waste management systems for contractors. This paper examines the existing implementation of waste management systems in the Hong Kong construction industry. Major sources of construction waste, awareness to install environment-friendly activities, benefits, difficulties and recommendations in the implementation of waste management systems are discussed. Questionnaire survey and structured interviews are conducted. Power spectra and bispectra of the survey data are introduced to assess the implementation of the existing waste management systems. It is found that formwork and temporary hoardings are the major sources of construction waste. Improving environmental performance is ranked as the least project scope for construction projects. “Propose methods for reducing waste” is the major benefit gained. However, “Lack of well-known effective waste management methods” is the major difficulty encountered by organisations. “Use of metal formwork”, “Use of prefabricated building components” and “Use of non-timber hoarding” are the recommended methods to improve the existing implementation of waste management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]