Information System Development for Demolition Material Management

Abstract

In recent years, the increasing pressure of environmental requirements, including the reduction of waste, has widely challenged various industries worldwide. Most industrialised countries, including Australia, have achieved high levels of consumption and correspondingly high levels of waste disposal. Australia has the second highest domestic waste production per capita among all member nations of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development as published in the web page of the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (2003). Nearly one tonne of solid waste is sent to landfill per person each year as the total waste stream in Australia is about 14 million tonne of which somewhere between 16% and 40% is construction and demolition waste (Reddrop and Ryan, 1997). This number was 33% in the Barwon region of Victoria in 2002. The demolition of building structures produces enormous amounts of materials that in most countries result in significant waste streams. The construction industry, particularly in the demolition of constructed facilities, is the top contributor among all industry sectors to these levels of waste.