September 19, 2003—A new web-based information system has been developed in the UK to identify the best ways of dealing with waste materials, taking full account of the options available at a user’s location.
The system is made up of two complementary elements – BREMAP a geographical information system, and SalvoMIE a materials information exchange. Together they define the best practicable option for any UK site or company having to deal with waste.
BREMAP provides the locations of reputable businesses involved in the collection, storage, haulage, reuse, reclamation, recycling and disposal of construction and demolition wastes. It has been developed by BRE and funded by Biffaward through landfill tax credits and a grant from the Institution of Civil Engineers R&D Enabling Fund.
SalvoMIE provides an advertising and trading ground for a selection of available materials. These will range from large quantities of scrap demolition timber and recycled aggregates, to smaller quantities of new bricks and plasterboard off-cuts left over from a building project, or shrubs and topsoil from a landscaping project. SalvoMIE was originally funded by the Department of Environment Transport and Regions and is now being managed by Salvo.
Entering a user’s postcode into BREMAP brings up a map of the different waste services—and available materials and products (this part of the database being updated daily)—in that area. Basic and advanced searches can be made. For example, a basic search could look for waste management facilities within 20 miles of a user’s postcode. An advanced search could look for waste facilities dealing in timber pallets within 20 miles, but restricted to Bedfordshire or the Midlands.
Many existing databases and much industry literature detailing landfill sites, transfer stations, incinerators, recycling sites, reclamation companies, composting facilities and manufacturer take-back schemes, are encapsulated by BREMAP into a consistent and accessible format. Currently, around 9,000 companies able to perform some type of service to the industry are registered on the Web site.
