1.65 A National Economic Approach to Improved Management of Construction and Demolition Waste

A holistic national approach is required to handle the growing issue of construction and demolition (C&D) waste management in Australia. Through this project, the discrepancies and inconsistencies related to C&D waste management regulations in each jurisdiction will be identified and recommendations for harmonising reforms made. The project will also develop a case for creating a marketplace to trade waste across sectors and jurisdictions. The project will deliver an innovative integrated supply chain model based on a cradle-to-cradle (lifecycle) approach that will streamline C&D waste management processes, while effectively reducing/reusing/recycling C&D waste. A key deliverable will be recommendations to aid national harmonisation of the economic factors and drivers/barriers that govern C&D waste management in a market-driven economy.

Objectives

This project will promote a national understanding and recommendations for harmonisation of economic drivers across jurisdictions governing the disposal and reuse/recycling of construction and demolition (C&D) waste.

The specific objectives are to:

1. Review regulations and their application in practice in different jurisdictions governing C&D waste management, identifying discrepancies and making recommendations for reforms.
2. Develop a consistent approach to define and measure C&D waste across different jurisdictions.
3. Identify economic factors that govern the disposal and reduce/reuse/recycling of C&D waste.
4. Conduct a feasibility study on creating a marketplace to connect organisations and industries across jurisdictions for trading waste.
5. Identify opportunities to integrate supply chains and develop an integrated supply chain lifecycle model espousing a cradle-to-cradle approach.

Industry Outcomes

The project deliverables will:

1. Provide recommendations for the national harmonisation of C&D waste management regulations to improve industry practice.
2. Support a consistent and clear understanding of what is defined by the terms ‘waste’ and ‘resource’ which will help industry to conduct business across jurisdictions more efficiently.
3. Inform a market-driven approach to C&D waste management, by identifying governing economic factors and drivers/barriers for organisations to reduce or reuse/recycle C&D waste.
4. Develop case studies to highlight the benefits of an integrated supply chain approach.
5. Provide a feasibility analysis on the creation of a marketplace to trade C&D waste.