Earth Exchange Expands
An award-winning website created to facilitate the exchange of surplus construction or reusable demolition materials has reported a marked increase in levels of materials exchanged.
Earth Exchange® (www.earthexchange.com) uses a time based map system on which users can enter their current and future construction projects and say what materials they have surplus or require.
The website easily identifies where other construction sites are or will be, who is operating there, what and when surplus materials are available and which sites have a deficit in materials. This allows the user the opportunity to match his site with local sites which have surplus/deficit of materials.
The latest headline figures suggest that materials reuse as a result of the Earth Exchange® website is on a steady and increasingly upward trend:
• Materials exchanged (virgin materials saved): 92,000 m3 (ca. 156,000 tonnes)
• Materials diverted from landfill: 48,000 m3 (ca 81,000 tonnes)
• Road haulage distance saved: 460,000 km (285,840 miles)
• CO2 emissions saved as a result of reduced road haulage: 433.5 tonnes
• Total approximate cost savings to users of Earth Exchange®: £4,215,000
“These headline figures are extremely encouraging and we are pleased that Earth Exchange® is making a tangible difference to the construction materials reuse issue and is streamlining the sustainable procurement process,” says operations director Alex Albion. “We, of course, also have to remember that users of the website are not required to leave feedback, so in all likelihood the amount of materials that have actually been exchanged and cost savings realised with the help of Earth Exchange® are considerably more than that presented.”
“The construction industry is having a hard time at the moment, but the figures show that users of Earth Exchange® have a definite competitive advantage over those construction and demolition companies which are not using our system. Using Earth Exchange® has the potential to make a real difference to the bottom line of any construction project, as well as improve the key environmental performance indicators for a project,” Albion says. “As we hopefully start to see a recovery in the construction sector we would expect to see many more housing and commercial developers, their contractors as well as more civil engineering and demolition firms join Earth Exchange® and add to the number of sites on our mapped database.”
Albion clearly believes that the demolition sector holds the key to the onward growth of materials resource efficiency. “Demolition companies have a great deal to gain from using Earth Exchange®. Where the client does not need crushed demolition arisings retained on site, the website can help demolition companies find nearby construction projects where these materials are required to be imported as structural fill or to raise site levels. The companies who need these types of materials can also see the demolition project and make reciprocal enquiries. Earth Exchange® effectively automates the process of finding users of reusable or recycled materials as well as automates the system for finding suppliers of soils, aggregates and other building materials,” he concludes. “The demolition sector has a great reputation in recycling and reuse and demolition companies should be leading the way in joining Earth Exchange® and encouraging other sectors of the construction industry to join. Only by doing this can we streamline and make more efficient the materials reuse process, cut haulage distances and reduce wastes across the board.”
20th Jul 2009
ID: 1193
