WO2016070237A1

WO2016070237A1 - System and method for managing waste in a construction environment

Info

Publication number: WO2016070237A1
Application number: PCT/AU2015/000676
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dean VAN HUIZEN
Original assignee: Mobius Materials Recovery Systems Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2014-11-07
Filing date: 2015-11-09
Publication date: 2016-05-12

Abstract

A method of managing waste materials generated by projects at project sites. Comprising collecting data about a project and the related project site and storing said data in remotely accessible databases against a registered client managed by a host service. Host service monitors the registered client for triggering of an event to initiate collection of waste materials from said project site. Facilitating collection of waste material from said project site comprising measuring an amount of waste material collected from said project site and recording said amount of waste material in the remotely accessible database against the registered client. Collecting waste material from said project site to a waste processing plant to process the waste material into recyclable material and non-recyclable material. Logging the amount of recyclable and non-recyclable material disposed. Generating reports for each registered client based on an amount and type of waste material generated by said project.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MANAGING WASTE IN A CONSTRUCTION ENVIRON MENT

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority from Australian provisional patent application No. 2014904479 filed on 7 November 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a system and method of managing waste in a construction environment, and in particular, to a system and method of managing the collection, recovery and reporting of waste generated at a construction site.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Construction projects, in the form of domestic or commercial building projects, require a large amount of raw materials and as a result, generate a large amount of waste. Such waste may be in the form of left-over raw materials, such as soil, sand, rock, brick, cement, as well as by-products of the process, such as waste wood and wood offcuts, polystyrene formwork, PVC piping, plastic packaging and cables, paper and cardboard, plasterboard and various other materials.

Traditionally, the waste present at a construction site is in a mixed form and is collected during, or after, construction and disposed of at the expense of the building owner or developer. The materials are typically disposed of in landfill, thereby resulting in waste reserves becoming quickly diminished or reduced with material that can be otherwise utilised. Such a situation is of a particular problem in developing countries where there may be a high population requiring large waste reserves and minimal landfill options, which can become quickly depleted when they are being filled with construction waste.

In recent times, there has been a move towards recycling waste, of both a commercial and domestic nature, to reduce the burden on dedicated landfills. While this has proven effective in recycling domestic and commercial waste where individuals are provided with means for separating different types of waste at the point of disposal, in areas such as building sites, where mixed rubble or co- mingled waste gathers for collection, recycling of waste materials is not as easily achieved and requires considerable effort and coordination. Most proposed efforts for recycling waste from a building or construction site typically rely upon collection and removal of a specific type of waste, such as timber, soils or metals. As such, fundamental to such proposed efforts is the requirement to gather and collect the specific materials, such as timbers, aggregate and the like, for separate collection from the rest of the general waste. This requires the construction site to have designated waste collection areas and deposit points for different types of waste, which is inconvenient and difficult to implement, especially in crowded and small construction sites. Further, such systems require contractors/workers to be vigilant in identifying the type of waste and depositing it at the appropriate deposit point, which is difficult to enforce and regulate. Thus, with even the best intentions of those involved, it is difficult to structure a construction site in such a manner to ensure the integrity of the collected waste.

In recent times, various recycling plants have been developed to aid in sorting and separating types of waste from a common waste mix for recycling purposes. Such recycling plants employ various components, such as trommels to automatically screen and separate the waste to enable specific types of waste to be collected and recycled. These plants have been shown to have a significant impact on the amount of material entering landfill. However, such recycling plants are typically dedicated to handling pre-separated waste and are not able to readily be used in applications where mixed rubble or co-mingled waste are to be processed, as is the case for most construction sites.

Therefore, for construction sites there is a need to provide a more complete system for removing waste from the site without requiring significant effort from those working on the site to pre-process and separate the waste prior to collection. There is also a need to provide a system which not only removes and recycles the waste, but which also records information related to the overall recovery process to provide meaningful data and reporting facilities to project managers responsible for such sites, so as to provide a means for such managers to control and minimise material wastage, together with the amount of material that is reclaimed or recycled.

The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION

The invention according to one or more aspects is as defined in the independent claims. Some optional and/or preferred features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a system for managing and reclaiming waste materials from a construction site comprising:

a collection vehicle for collecting waste material from the construction site;

a recording means for recording the weight of waste material collected from the construction site together with the details of the construction project;

a processing plant for processing the waste material and generating recyclable material and non-recyclable material and recording the percentage of said recyclable material and non-recyclable material based on said collected waste material; and

a reporting means for providing reports based upon the amount of waste material processed in association with the construction site.

Accordingly, in another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of managing waste materials generated by one or more projects at one or more project sites comprising:

collecting data about a project and the related project site and storing said data in one or more remotely accessible databases against a registered client to be managed by a host service;

said host service monitoring said registered client for triggering of an event to initiate collection of waste materials from said project site recorded against said registered client;

facilitating collection of said waste material from said project site; measuring an amount of waste material collected from said project site and recording said amount of waste material and other relevant data in the remotely accessible database against the registered client;

delivering said waste material collected from said project site to a waste processing plant to process the waste material into recyclable material and non-recyclable material;

recovering said recyclable material for re-use and disposing of said non-recycling material and recording an amount of said recyclable material recovered and an amount of non-recyclable material disposed as a proportion of the total amount of waste material collected from the project site at the remotely accessible database; and

the host service generating one or more reports for each said registered client based on an amount and type of waste material generated by said project and the amount of recyclable material recovered and non-recyclable material disposed of.

In accordance with the second aspect of the invention, the step of collecting data about a project may comprise receiving an order from an entity responsible for the project via an electronic distributed network. The order may be created by the entity logging into a remotely hosted website and entering relevant data associated with the project. The relevant data may include the type of construction project, location of the construction project, the manager of the construction project and contractors supplying services to the construction project.

The data may be stored in one or more servers provided by the host service. The one or more servers may contain the one or more remotely accessible databases that store the data in an accessible manner against a registered client profile.

The step of the host service monitoring the registered client for triggering of an event to initiate collection of waste material from the project site may comprise the host service receiving a request from the registered client to collect waste material from the project site. Alternatively, the step of the host service monitoring the registered client for triggering of an event to initiate collection of waste material from the project site may comprise the host service remotely monitoring the level of waste material collecting at said project site and upon the level of waste material being determined by the host service to be at or above a predetermined level, the host service initiating the collection of waste material from the project site. In another embodiment, the step of the host service monitoring the registered client for triggering of an event to initiate collection of waste material from the project site may comprise the host service identifying a predetermined order booking made by said registered client and initiating the collection of waste material from the project site in accordance with said order booking.

The request may be made by the registered client upon logging into the remotely hosted website to communicate with the host service

The host service may facilitate collection of the waste material from the project site by directing one or more waste collection vehicles to the project site. The one or more waste collection vehicles may comprises a truck having a grapple or similar device for collecting and retaining the waste material. The one or more waste collection vehicles may be directed to the project site by way of a GPS device that guides and tracks the location of the one or more waste collection vehicles with respect to the project site.

The step of measuring the amount of waste material collected from the project site may comprise each waste collection vehicle having a loadcell for measuring the weight of the waste material collected from the project site and transmitting the weight of the waste material to the host service for storage against the registered user responsible for the project over a distributed network.

One or more photographs may be taken of the waste material collected from the project site and each photograph may be transmitted over a distributed network to the host service for storage against the registered user responsible for the project to provide evidence that the waste material was collected as well as the type of waste material collected from the project site. The one or more photographs of the waste collection material may be taken and stored in the remotely accessible database against the construction project as evidence of the collection of the waste material.

The step of delivering the waste material collected from the project site to a waste processing plant may comprise the one or more waste collection vehicles being directed by the host service to a pre-determined processing plant by way of a GPS device present in the vehicle. The processing plant may be pre-determined by the host service based on the proximity of the processing plant to the project site. In another form, the processing plant may be pre-determined by the host service based on the amount of waste material carried by the one or more waste collection vehicles and the nearest processing plant having the capacity to accommodate the amount of waste material being carried.

The processing plant may process the waste material by passing the waste material through a plurality of screening stations. The plurality of screening stations may each separate the waste material into individual components of like nature and collect the individual components for reuse where possible.

The collected individual components may be weighed prior to removal for reuse and the weight of the collected individual components is stored in the remotely accessible databases against the registered client for reporting purposes. The step of the host service generating one or more reports for each said registered client comprises the host service identifying and listing the type and amount of recyclable materials generated from the collected waste material and the type and amount of non-recyclable material generated from the collected waste material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which:

Fig. 1 is a system diagram of a waste management and recovery system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a flow chart depicting a method of managing waste in a construction project in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a flow chart depicting a method of managing a site for use with the method of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a plan diagram of a processing plant in accordance with the waste recovery system of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the initial processing region of the processing plant of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is an isolated view of the picking line of the processing plant of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is an isolated view of the aggregate collection and creation line of the processing plant of Fig. 4.

Figs. 8— 21 depict screen shots of a software application for implementing the method of Fig. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. The system and method of the present invention will be described above in relation to its application for use in the removal and recycling of waste material from a domestic building site. It will be appreciated that the present invention may also have applications for use in the removal and recycling of waste material from a variety of different sites, such as commercial and other construction sites, whilst still falling within the spirit of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1 , an embodiment of a system 10 in accordance with the present invention is depicted. The system 10 is a waste management system that comprises a host service 1 1 that is accessible via a distributed computing network 14 to provide a means for remote users and clients to manage material removal needs associated with their building construction site.

The host service 1 1 has one or more servers 12 that communicate with the network 14 via wired or wireless communication channels, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The one or more servers 12 are configured to store a variety of information associated with each of the remote users 15 - 19. The servers 12 are also able to house multiple databases necessary for the proper operation of the methods and systems of the present invention and for the storage of information collected from the remote users 15 - 19. The one or more servers 12 may be any of a number of servers known to those skilled in the art and are intended to be operably connected to the network 14 so as to operably link to each of the remote users 15 19 to provided two-way communication therebetween.

The one or more servers 12 typically include a central processing unit or CPU that includes one or more microprocessors and memory operably connected to the CPU. The memory can include any combination of random access memory (RAM), a storage medium such as a magnetic hard disk drive(s) and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the distributed computing network 14 is the internet, although other types of networks are also envisaged, such as an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN) and non-TCP/IP based networks.

Each of the remote users 15 - 19 are able to connect to the host service 1 1 by way of the network 14. The remote users may access the host service 11 through any number of electronic devices, which may include a personal electronic device such as a mobile phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), tablet device, laptop, desktop personal computer or any other device capable of interfacing with the network 14. In such an arrangement, multiple users are able to access the host service 1 1 and the servers 12 in order to access the system 10. The memory of the servers 12 may be used for storing an operating system, databases, software applications and the like for execution on the CPU. As will be discussed in more detail below, in a preferred embodiment the database stores data relating to registered users or clients of the system 10. The data relating to each user may include a variety of information such as the user's name, address, photographs, preferences and the like.

As discussed above, each user is connected to the network 14 by way of a remote device. Depending upon the type of user 15 - 19, the remote device may be configured to store one or more programs that include executable code to facilitate communication and transfer of data between the user 15 - 19 and the host service 1 1.

One group of users of the present system is a Client User Group 15 which is able to communicate with the host service 1 1 to order services from the host service 1 1 as well as receive reports, progress updates as well as receiving invoices and statements and making payment to the host service 1 1 for work performed. The client user group 15 may include individual building project managers or construction companies that are responsible for a construction site and require removal of waste from the construction site by the host service 11. In this regard, each member of the client user group will typically access the host service 1 1 by way of a remote electronic device and will have a dedicated home page that will provide an interface for the client to request new orders, review old jobs, receive progress reports and request reports and the like on proposed building projects to assist the client 15 with managing the materials recovery process for the building project. The manner in which reporting can be achieved will be discussed in more detail below.

Another of the user groups is the site clean vehicle user group 16 which comprise a fleet of vehicles operated by the host service 1 1. Each of the site clean user group vehicles is equipped with a GPS guidance system to map the location of the vehicle and will also be equipped with an on-board computer system that is able to communicate with the host service 11 to receive instructions to attend a construction site for cleaning the site in accordance with the client's requirements. The on-board computer system present in the vehicle will be able to remotely assign clean tasks based upon the location of the vehicle and will be able to remotely log completion of the task to be updated immediately against the job that is stored in the servers 12 of the host service 1 1. The Network 14 will also communicate with the on-board computer system to generate Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) and task checklists specific for each site and can store and transmit these completed SWMS' and checklists to the relevant client automatically if required to meet their own quality assurance or OHS systems.

The Waste Collection Vehicle (WCV) User Group 17 comprises a fleet of purpose built Tipper trucks having cranes and grapples that are configured to attend a building site to remove the waste therefrom. As will be discussed in more detail below, the waste collection vehicles comprise an on-board computer system having GPS tracking facilities that is able to communicate wirelessly with the remote service 1 1 to transfer data therebetween regarding not only the location of the job in relation to the vehicle, but also commencement and completion of the job in relation to the location of the vehicle as well as confirmation by the vehicle operator. Each of the waste collection vehicles are also equipped with a loadcell to weight the amount of waste material being removed from the site. This information is then captured together with the GPS information identifying the job and is transmitted from the vehicle to the host service and stored in the servers 12 of the host service for reporting purposes, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The Cage Delivery Vehicle User Group 18 comprises a fleet of vehicles solely responsible for the delivery and collection of storage cages and bins for storing and collecting the accumulated waste materials, at the various construction sites. The vehicles of this user group 18 are all equipped with GPS tracking facilities and on-board computer systems that provide a means for remotely tracking and logging the delivery and collection of storage cages and bins at each of the building sites.

The Processing Yard User Group 19 comprises each of the material recovery and recycling facilities that receive the waste materials and process the waste materials for recycling and disposal purposes. As will be discussed in considerable detail below, each processing yard comprises a fixed weighbridge for tracking the incoming loads of the waste collection vehicles and comparing the loads with those initially recorded by the loadcells of the vehicles upon departure from the construction site as a means for double-checking the information. The weighbridges at the processing yards are also able to track outgoing loads as the vehicles exit the processing yards to confirm throughput. The information obtained from the weighbridges is able to be transmitted to the host service 1 1 for storage in the servers 12 against the particular job. By measuring the amount of load present at each processing yard upon delivery, the capacity of each processing yard is able to be determined. As the amount of waste is stored by the host service, if a processing yard is found to be at or near capacity, the vehicle is able to be directed to an alternative processing plant to ensure that processing plants are not loaded beyond their optimal working capacity. Each processing plant is also able to measure the amount (by weight) of waste material that is recycled at each collection point and is able to readily determine the percentage of material recoverable from a particular job and the percentage of waste material that enters landfill, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Referring to Fig. 2, a method 60 depicting a manner in which a member of the Client User Group 15 may use the present invention to manage waste associated with a specific project is shown. Such a method 60 can be implemented by a client to provide total waste control management within the project incorporating monitoring the accumulation of waste at the construction site, coordinating the collection and removal of waste from the site, process and recycling the collected waste and documenting and reporting waste related data to assist the client identify issues associated with the construction project. It will be appreciated that whilst the method of the present invention may provide a total system for managing each of these aspects of the construction project, in some instances only some aspects may be required by the client and the method may be modified to provide such variety of use.

In step 61, a client may register with the host service 11 to become part of the Client User Group 15. As part of the registration process, the client may create a profile that includes their name and contact details as well as any other related information to assist in identifying the client, such as the client's company name. The host service 1 1 will then create a profile for the registered client and store the profile within the memory of the servers 12 in a conventional manner. This will enable the client to log-in to their profile at any time to access their data that is stored in their profile, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Upon registration, the client will then be provided with a web based software application that can be downloaded or otherwise obtained to provide an interface between the user and the host service 1 1 . The software application may be downloaded onto any number of user devices, such as a smart phone or tablet, for use by the client. As will also be discussed in more detail, the software application may be used across a number of user groups with the interface differing based upon whether the suer is a client, site clean vehicle operator, waste collection vehicle operator, cage delivery vehicle operator or the like.

In step 62 the client is able to enter project details such as site address and other relevant details, and is able to request a job from the host service 1 1 for the project. These jobs may include and overall waste management system for the site, a site clean, waste collection, crushed rock supply to the site or any other types of services being offered by the host service 1 1.

In step 63, upon the host service 1 1 receiving a job request from the client, the host service 1 1 will coordinate the job through the various other user groups controlled by the system. The host service 11 will then set-up the site in accordance with the client's requests which may include providing the necessary on-site equipment to assist the client with collecting waste material as it accumulates as well as any other support considered necessary. As will be discussed in more detail below, this may include providing remotely located cameras to monitor the accumulation of waste on the site to trigger a waste collection service.

In step 64, the host service 11 is able to co-ordinate waste collection in accordance with the client's instructions. In this regard, the client may simply log-in to the host service 1 1 and request waste collection, or may have previously set-up in their profile a scheduled waste collection event. Alternatively, the waste collection event may be triggered by the remotely located cameras detecting that the on-site bins and cages are at capacity and require emptying, without any specific request by the client, should they agree to such an automated service. Irrespective of the manner in which the waste collection event is triggered, to collect the waste from the construction site, the WCV receives a request from the host service 1 1 and is directed to the appropriate site by way of the GPS system present in that vehicle. In this regard, the GPS system and onboard computer system present in the vehicle is able to perform live tracking of the vehicle for managing drivers and making scheduled changes in real time. This can also be used to track vehicle performance and trip data for analysis and reporting purposes and to provide the client with confirmation once an order has been completed.

Due to the purpose built construction of the WCVs, namely that they are tipper trucks having cranes and grapples for collecting the waste and transferring the waste from the site into the truck, the WCVs are able to collect the waste without having to enter the site. In this regard, the WCVs are able to park on the street and use the crane and grapple to pick up and collect the waste material. As many construction sites are often muddy, this avoids the requirement of dragging mud around the site and onto the adjoining street, thereby providing for a cleaner environment. Further, as the WCVs do not having to enter the site to perform their function, the waste material can be removed even if there are obstructions in the way, such as brick deliveries and the like, as is often the case with crowded construction sites.

As previously discussed, upon collection of the waste material at the construction site, the loadcell present on the WCVs weigh the amount of waste material collected and logs this data against the job for transmission to the host service 1 1 to be stored in the hosts service database against that job and registered user.

The host service 1 1 may then assess the amount of waste material collected at the construction site and review the capacity of the nearest Processing Yards (PYs) of the Processing Yard User Group 19. Upon accessing which of the closest PYs has the capacity to receive the load of waste material carried by the WCV, the host service 1 1 is then able to direct the WCV to the most suitable PY via the onboard GPS system.

In step 65, the waste is processed and broken down into reusable waste to minimise the amount of waste that will be sent to landfill, the manner in which this is performed will be discussed in more detail below. In any event, the constituents of the waste is able to be assessed and recorded to determine the amount and type of waste that has been collected from the site and this data is logged against the particular job and client in step 66. Such information is fundamental for reporting purposes and to provide the client with information about their contractors and suppliers and the amount of wasted resources they have accumulated.

In step 67, following logging and storage of the data associated with the reconstituted and recycled waste in step 66, the system then determines whether the client's project requirements have been completed by assessing the completed task against the requested job order selected by the client in step 62, If the project tasks are ongoing and still not completed, the system will continue to collect and process waste at regular intervals or until requested, until instructed by the client that the project has been completed.

If it has been determined that the project has been completed and the waste has been removed from the site, the equipment may be collected from the site in step 68 and the site may be cleaned.

In step 69, the waste management reports may be prepared and stored against the client's profile for review as part of the project management system. As will be appreciated, the management reports may provide a complete breakdown of data collected to provide the client with an indication of the amount of waste generated, the type of waste generated and the amount of waste recycled or reconstituted for re-use. This can assist the client in identifying a supplier or individual responsible for an element of the construction project that may have contributed significantly to the amount of wastage generated to assist in identifying those contractors or suppliers that provide greater services and minimise waste generation. This information can then be used by the client and other users, when they next source contractors or suppliers. This can result in a client seeking to avoid using the services of a supplier/contractor with a histoiy of material wastage and only employing those suppliers/contractors with a good history of wastage minimisation, so as to reduce costs for a project.

It will be appreciated that the software application of the present invention may be equally used by members of any one or more of the other user groups as depicted in Fig. 1 and described above. In this regard, Fig. 3 depicts a method 70 that shows how a member of the Cage Delivery Vehicle (CDV) User Group 18 may use the software application of the present invention to perform the site setup step 63 of method 60.

In step 71, the user, typically a driver of a CDV, accesses the host service 11 through the software application provided on their mobile phone or other electronic device. This is depicted by the home screen shown in Fig. 8, whereby the user logs in to the software application by entering their user name and password. For CDV drivers, this may be a daily occurrence whereby at the commencement of each day the host service 1 1 will download a variety of jobs for completion by the user.

In step 72, the user will then select an assistant or labourer, referred to as a jockey, who will assist them at each job. This is captured by the host service through the user entering the assistant's name, or selecting the assistant's name from a screen of available names, as shown in Fig. 9. This aids the host service 1 1 in monitoring the available workforce form management and billing purposes, and ensures that there is sufficient workforce available for attending to the various tasks.

In step 73, prior to commencement of a job and before the user leaves the depot, the software application present on the user's smart phone will present the user with a vehicle checklist for completion. The check list is depicted in the screen shot of Fig. 10 and requires the user to enter the registration number of the truck and/or trailer and requires the user to conduct a series of tests and checks on various aspects of the vehicle, such as fluid levels, tyre condition, visible damage, etc. prior to commencing work. The user must then acknowledge whether the vehicle has passed the various checks as appropriate. This information is then logged as entered by the user and if there are any issues identified by the user in relation to a vehicle, the user will not be able to use the vehicle until the issue has been reported and rectified by the host service.

Following the vehicle being assessed to be in a satisfactory state for use, the user is then presented with a list of the tasks that are to be completed for that day in step 74. In this step, the host service 1 1 lists the various tasks in the order that they are to be completed by the user, with the current task being highlighted in bold. This is depicted on the screen shoot of the software application in Fig. 1 1. As will be noted, each of the jobs listed also include the address of the job and are typically assigned and ordered by the host service 1 1 to minimise travel time between jobs.

Once the user has selected the current job listed in bold, the user's software application is then redirected to a navigational application present on their smartphone to direction the user to the job, based upon their existing GPS position in step 75. The host service 1 1 monitors and records the position of the CDV as it travels between jobs to ensure that any problems, such as vehicle breakdowns or undue delays, can be quickly identified and rectified where appropriate. This may include the host service 1 1 shuffling jobs between users of a group, depending upon available resources and time delays.

In step 76, once the user has arrived at the address of the current job, the software application recommences and the host service 1 1 records that the user is on site. The user is then presented with critical information about the builder or project manager responsible for the site, relevant aspects of the project and site, as well as specific detail s of the tasks to be completed for that site.

In step 77, the user is presented with a pre-start checklist that, depending on the tasks to be completed, provide a series of questions that require answering before work can be commenced. These questions are determined by the host service in accordance with the project manager of the site to ensure that the tasks are performed to an appropriate quality and that if there are any issues that present completion of the tasks; these issues are clearly identified and rectified if possible. In the embodiment depicted in Fig. 13, the user is required to deliver a bin or cage for collecting waste at the site. As such, the user is presented with clear questions that ensure that the user is aware of their duties and to ensure that the bin or cage is positioned at the site in accordance with predetermined constraints.

Once the user is familiar with the task to be performed in step 77, prior to performing the task, the user is presented the Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) for the task in step 78. This statement must be completed prior to performing the task. This requires both the user and their nominated jockey to familiarise themselves with their SWMS obligations and to confirm that they understand and agree with these obligations before commencing the task. The host service 11 will record all confirmations and these will be logged against the project.

In step 79, the user and jockey will then perform the task, which may require the installation of one or more bins or cages about the site.

Upon completion of the task, the user will then be required to conduct a variety of performance checking tasks in step 79. Typically, at a site set-up, these tasks involve the user taking a variety of photos of various aspects of the site prior to the project commencing, to assist the host service 1 1 in monitoring and tracking the waste management aspects of the site. As depicted in Fig. 15, the user is required to take a variety of photos that aid in depicting the presence of any existing damage at the site, and illegal waste that may have been deposited at the site as well as any other issues considered relevant. As depicted in Fig. 16, to assist the user in this step, a diagrammatical depiction of a variety of camera angles is provided to ensure that the user is able to collect the relevant photographical information required by the host service for each project. As is shown in Fig. 18, as the user takes the appropriate phots of the site, they are marked off and stored at the host service 11 , ensuring that the user cannot leave the site until this task has been fully completed. Once the relevant photos of the site have been taken, the user is provided with a summary, Fig. 19 that enables the user to proceed to a completion checklist page, as depicted in Fig. 20.

In step 80, the user is presented with a final checklist for completion before they can leave the site. The completion checklist is provided by the host service 1 1 to ensure that the site is left in a satisfactory state and is properly secured and cleaned. Once the user has completed the check list, the job will be removed from their list (Fig. 21) and marked complete. This will then be recorded at the host service 1 1 and the project manager advised. The host service may then invoice the project manager for such service if applicable.

If in step 81 there are further jobs to be completed, the user is then able to select the next job and returns to step 74 as described previously. However, if the job is the final job the user is able to return the CDV to the depot.

It will be appreciated that the same or similar process could be carried out by the waste collection vehicles (WCVs) when waste is to be collected from the site, as well as the site clean vehicles (SCVs) when the site is to be cleaned at the completion of the project. Such a software application ensures that the tasks are completed to a high standard and that photographical evidence of the tasks is taken as evidence that the tasks have been completed, for reporting purposes. As the data is collected and stored in real time, the host service is able to monitor tasks and provide up to date reports on the tasks, as requested by the project managers of the site.

Referring to Fig. 2, the manner in which waste collected from the sites is processed in step 65 is also an important aspect of the present invention. In this regard, a representation of a Processing Yard (PY) 30 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is show in Fig. 4.

The PY 30 is generally housed in a factoiy setting that comprises one or more weighbridges 32 for weighing the WCVs upon arrival at the PY. As previously discussed, the weighbridges 32 are able to track the incoming loads from the WCVs and compare the calculated loads with the loadcell measurements made by the WCV upon pick-up to ensure the integrity of the system. The weighbridges 32 are also able to weigh the WCV upon departure of the PY 30 to confirm throughput.

Following weighing at the weighbridge 32, the PY then transmits the weight data to the host service 1 1 for storage against the project site, and the WCV is then directed to the collection pit 33 to deposit the waste material therein. The collection pit 33 is an open and dedicated space for receiving the waste material from the WCVs. When the waste material is present in the collection pit 33, it is able to be pre-sorted such that any unacceptable contaminants present therein are able to be removed prior to processing, to ensure that the various individual waste components are not contaminated prior to processing by the PY. Further, any obviously large items, such as large timber beams, doors and the like are able to be individually removed from the collection pit 33 and placed into the appropriate product specific bin, in a manner as will be described in more detail below. This initial screening process is typically performed manually.

Following completion of the initial screening process, the remaining waste material is then fed into the main processing line 40 by way of the excavator 34. The excavator 34 is mounted adjacent a two-stage trommel/vibrating screen 35 and comprises a grapple 34a for picking up the waste material from the pit 33 and delivering the waste material into a feed hopper 35a of the two-stage trommel 35. This is shown more clearly in Fig. 5.

The two-stage trommel/vibrating screen 35 is configured such that it is able to filter out smaller fractions of the waste material that are too small to pick through by hand, such as dirt, soil, sand, sawdust and the like. In this regard, the first part 35b of the two-stage trommel/vibrating screen 35 has a 10 mm screen that is configured to separate any dirt/soil/sawdust present in the waste material as the material passes through the trommel 35. In this regard, all such material passing through the 10mm screen is collected below the trommel/vibrating srcreen 35 where it is delivered onto a conveyor system 35d that conveys the captured matter into a collection bay 35e as depicted more clearly in Fig. 5. This collected material present in the bay 35e is then able to be collected and re-used in blended soil mixtures for garden beds and the like. Typically, this material is collected and the weight of the material collected is recorded in the database of the host service, after which the material is sold to an appropriate supplier of blended soils.

In the second stage 35c of the two-stage trommel/vibrating screen 35, there is provided a 50 mm screen that is configured to remove any materials smaller than 50mm diameter but greater than 10 mm in diameter. This typically includes broken pieces of bricks, roof tiles, cardboard and paper, small plastics and small offcuts or scraps of timber. This material captured in the second stage 35c of the two-stage trommel /vibrating screen 35 will be further processed in a manner as will be discussed in more detail below.

All other waste materials that pass through the two-stage trommel/vibrating screen 35 proceed to the main picking line 36, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6. As will be appreciated, the material entering the main picking line 36 has a diameter greater than 50mm and is deposited onto a conveyor 36a to be conveyed past a series of picking stations 41 a - 41 i. Each of the picking stations 41 a - 41 i comprise a pair of work stations on opposing sides of the conveyor 36a, and are manually serviced by individual pickers to sort specific materials from the conveyed waste material. As is shown, each picking station 41a - 41 i is elevated and has an adjacent bin 42, such as a hook bin, such that when the material is manually selected from the conveyor 36a it is placed into the bin 42 where it is collected at a collection station below the picking station 41a - 41 i for re-use. The types of materials that each picking station may be dedicated to collect are as follows:

a. Paper and cardboard;

b. Sheet and film plastics;

c. Clean timber (framing timbers/plywood/Masonite/chipboard) d. Heavy materials (bricks/concrete/roof tiles/ ceramic tiles)

e. Plasterboard

f. Rigid plastics

g. MDF

h. Cement sheeting

i. PVC pipe

j. Ferrous materials

It will be appreciated that some of the picking stations may comprise additional bins for collecting other, non-specified matter, passing along the conveyor 36a, such as polystyrene, treated pine, domestic recyclables such as tins, cans and bottles, green waste, electric cables and non-ferrous waste. These collected items can be removed from the picking line for recycling via conventional methods.

As is depicted in Fig. 6, at the end of the conveyor 36a, there is provided a waste bin 43 that collects the material that is not able to be recycled or re-used which is then sent to landfill. At the end of the process, the amount of waste material collected in this bin 43 is able to be weighed and measured and stored in the host service as an ongoing measurement of the total amount of waste that is recycled or reused by the present system.

All the sorted material collected from the picking stations in the collection bays located there below is also weighed and the weight recorded against the host service 1 1 as an ongoing recording means for reporting processes. This collected material is then sold or otherwise provided to a variety of recycling partners who are able to process the material into its component material and use the material to manufacture new products. This then significantly reduces the amount of material traditionally send to landfill.

Apart from separating and collecting waste materials for reuse, the system of the present invention is also able to provide aggregate material from the collected waste for re-use around construction sites in accordance with the following process.

As previously discussed, the material that passes through the second stage 35c of the two-stage trommel 35 is collected and further processed in accordance with the arrangement depicted in Fig. 7. The collected material is processed by passing it through a density separator 50 that processes the materials into "heavies" and "lights". Those collected materials that are classified as "heavies" includes broken bricks, concrete, crushed rock, broken roof tiles, nails, screws, small pieces of metal and the like. These "heavies" are then conveyed to the crushing circuit 37, by way of conveyor 52, for further processing, as will be discussed below.

Those materials determined to be "lights" by the density separator include such materials as small timber offcuts, paper and cardboard scraps, small pieces of plastic film, and various other scraps. These materials are collected and conveyed to a compactor bin where they can be supplied to a waste-to-energy generation plant and used for energy production.

The crushing circuit 37 is typically provided below the picking station that is responsible for collecting the heavy materials from the conveyor 36a. The heavy materials obtained from the picking station are then combined with the heavy materials obtained from the second stage of the two-stage trommel 35 where they are then fed into a jaw crusher and crushed into smaller pieces. The crushed material is then placed upon a conveyor belt and conveyed past an overband magnet to remove any ferrous materials/metals that may be present therein, such as nails or screws from the construction site. The material is then conveyed to an additional screening trommel having a 40 mm screen and the material that passes through the trommel is then conveyed via conveyor 54 to the aggregate grading and collecting bays 38. All crushed material that is greater than 40mm and which doesn't pass through the screening trommel is then returned back to the jaw crusher for further crushing.

The crushed aggregate that is delivered to the collecting bays 38 via conveyor 54 is passed through a secondary screening trommel having a screen of 20mm such that the aggregate material less than 20 mm in diameter is collected in the first collection bay and the aggregate material having a diameter greater than 20mm (but less than 40mm) will be collected in the second collection bay where the conveyor 54 terminates.

The aggregate material collected is able to be then reused and delivered back to building sites so as to be spread around the building site to provide access to the site. This can be purchased by clients or otherwise offered to clients as part of an overall service whereby the aggregate material is recycled from the collected waste material.

The system of the present invention is also able to provide additional services such as soil removal services and the like, in accordance with client requests. In this regard, a client can book a service, such as a service to remove soil from the designated site, and the host service 1 1 can coordinate the pick-up and removal process and reclaim the soil through the above described reclamation process.

It will be appreciated that the Processing Yards (PYs) of the present system provide a means for processing all waste recovered from the construction site and measures the amount of material being reclaimed at each collection point as a weight. This data collection can then be used to monitor the overall recovery of waste materials from the site and provide clients and other users of the system with reports identifying problem projects and other areas of interest.

The system of the present invention is able to provide total processing throughput for any period as well as processing efficiency data based on the percentage of materials recycled and the percentage of materials sent to landfill. The system is also able to provide weight data for all construction projects that not only provides project managers with real data relating to the amount of waste materials created on a specific construction site, but also a photograph of the waste material collected to provide a visual indication of the waste material as well. This can assist the project managers of such sites in identifying problem projects that generate excessive waste materials as well as contractors or suppliers that overestimate their material requirements for a given task and generate excessive waste.

Due to the amount and type of data collected by the system of the present invention, the host service is able to generate a variety of different client summaiy reports regarding the waste collected based on:

• Geographical regions;

• Building types;

• Building Design; and

• Project Managers;

As the system of the present invention collects real-time data, it i s able to provide accurate average response times and service times as well as track vehicles and equipment to ensure that repairs and maintenance of the vehicles can be efficiently performed. This provides an important ability to manage operational costs and to assist in advising clients and other users of the system on strategies to reduce overall wastage on a building site.

The system of the present invention is also configured to provide clients with pre- service and post-service photographs of their building site to confirm that a job has been completed to the satisfactory of the client as well as showing existing conditions and any damage present onsite. Photographs may also be taken of any non-construction waste that may have been dumped on-site which may require additional charges to be met by the client for removal of such non-construction waste. It will be appreciated that the photographs can be simply taken onsite and downloaded into the host service database for viewing by the clients when logging into the host service.

Throughout the specification and claims the word "comprise" and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word "comprise" and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A method of managing waste materials generated by one or more projects at one or more project sites comprising:

facilitating collection of said waste material from said project site;

measuring an amount of waste material collected from said project site and recording said amount of waste material and other relevant data in the remotely accessible database against the registered client;

delivering said waste material collected from said project site to a waste processing plant to process the waste material into recyclable material and non- recyclable material;

recovering said recyclable material for re-use and disposing of said non- recycling material and recording an amount of said recyclable material recovered and an amount of non-recyclable material disposed as a proportion of the total amount of waste material collected from the project site at the remotely accessible database; and

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of collecting data about a project comprises receiving an order from an entity responsible for the project via an electronic distributed network.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the order is created by the entity logging into a remotely hosted website and entering relevant data associated with the project.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the relevant data includes the type of construction project, location of the construction project, the manager of the construction project and contractors supplying services to the construction project.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the data is stored in one or more servers provided by the host service.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the one or more servers contain the one or more remotely accessible databases that store the data in an accessible manner against a registered client profile.

7. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of the host service monitoring the registered client for triggering of an event to initiate collection of waste material from the project site comprises the host service receiving a request from the registered client to collect waste material from the project site.

8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of the host service monitoring the registered client for triggering of an event to initiate collection of waste material from the project site comprises the host service remotely monitoring the level of waste material collecting at said project site and upon the level of waste material being determined by the host service to be at or above a predetermined level, the host service initiating the collection of waste material from the project site.

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of the host service monitoring the registered client for triggering of an event to initiate collection of waste material from the project site comprises the host service identifying a predetermined order booking made by said registered client and initiating the collection of waste material from the project site in accordance with said order booking.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein the request is made by the registered client upon logging into the remotely hosted website.

1 1 . A method according to claim 1, wherein the host service facilitates collection of the waste material from the project site by directing one or more waste collection vehicles to the project site.

12. A method according to claim 1 1, wherein the one or more waste collection vehicles comprises a truck having a grapple or similar device for collecting and retaining the waste material.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the one or more waste collection vehicles is directed to the project site by way of a GPS device that guides and tracks the location of the one or more waste collection vehicles with respect to the project site.

14. A method according to any one of claims 9 - 1 1, wherein the step of measuring the amount of waste material collected from the project site comprises each waste collection vehicle having a loadcell for measuring the weight of the waste material collected from the project site and transmitting the weight of the waste material to the host service for storage against the registered user responsible for the project.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein one or more photographs may be taken of the waste material collected from the project site and each photograph may be transmitted to the host service for storage against the registered user responsible for the project to provide evidence that the waste material was collected as well as the type of waste material collected from the project site.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein one or more photographs of the waste collection material are taken and stored in the remotely accessible database against the construction project as evidence of the collection of the waste material.

17. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the step of delivering the waste material collected from the project site to a waste processing plant comprises the one or more waste collection vehicles being directed by the host service to a pre-determined processing plant by way of a GPS device present in the vehicle.

18. A method according to claim 17, wherein the processing plant is predetermined by the host service based on the proximity of the processing plant to the project site.

19. A method according to claim 17, wherein the processing plant is predetermined by the host service based on the amount of waste material carried by the one or more waste collection vehicles and the nearest processing plant having the capacity to accommodate the amount of waste material being carried.

20. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the processing plant processes the waste material by passing the waste material through a plurality of screening stations.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the plurality of screening stations each separate the waste material into individual components of like nature and collect the individual components for reuse.

22. A method according to claim 21 , wherein the collected individual components are weighed prior to removal for reuse and the weight of the collected individual components is stored in the remotely accessible databases against the registered client for reporting purposes.

23. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of the host sei'vice generating one or more reports for each said registered client comprises the host service identifying and listing the type and amount of recyclable materials generated from the collected waste material and the type and amount of non-recyclable material generated from the collected waste material.

24. A system for managing and reclaiming waste materials from a construction site comprising:

a collection vehicle for collecting waste material from the construction site;

a recording means for recording the weight of waste material collected from the construction site together with the details of the construction project; a processing plant for processing the waste material and generating recyclable material and non-recyclable material and recording the percentage of said recyclable material and non-recyclable material based on said collected waste material; and