1. Force Delete the transforms-4 and .gradle cache again

Sometimes it needs admin perms to actually delete stuff. Go to: C:\Users\caitl.gradle\caches\

Delete transforms-4

Also: delete .gradle folder in your project directory

Empty the recycle bin just in case

2. Try with --no-daemon

flutter build apk --release --no-daemon

3. Final Boss: Move Project Folder

Move your whole Flutter project to a different location like: C:\FlutterProjects\waste_pal\

Avoid spaces and “Copy” or “- Copy” in path names. Windows sometimes freaks out over that during Gradle ops.