C4M - Environment
Utilising the Lomwest C4M also means that you will be using a green construction material that eliminates otherwise polluting waste from the environment.
See the following subsections for more detailed information.
A Greener Building Material
The Lomwest C4M's reuse of tyres has been recognised by the Waste Authority of WA in its inaugural Waste Awards 2010, with Lomwest Enterprises a finalist in the "Waste Reduction and Resources Recovery Initiative" category. The award recognised the "significant and often creative contributions made to waste avoidance and resource recovery across the State."
Waste Authority of WA Waste Award 2010.
The problems associated with the disposal of waste tyres are significant and well documented. Estimates of the number of tyres disposed of each year throughout Australia vary but is somewhere around 29 million, with only a third being recycled and the remainder ending up in landfills or being dumped illegally. (Reference: Australian Bureau of Statistics "Solid Waste in Australia").
Of these 29 million, two thirds are exported to Asia under cheap waste export deals that contradicts parts of the international Basel Convention on moving hazardous waste, of which Australia is signatory. (Reference: Cubby, B 2009 'Used-tyre exports dump health concerns in Asia', Sydney Morning Herald 20 October).
The costs to the community and to the various State and Local governments, flowing from waste tyres, is considerable. Major problems occur through littering of the landscape and waterways and taking up valuable landfill space.
Environmental Benefits
Particular benefits that the Lomwest C4M offers over traditional building materials includes:
- Reduction in landfill waste
- Improvement in air quality, particularly in China were they currently burn Australia's waste tyres
- Elimination of tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere
- Does not deplete natural resources such as lime stone (Reference: Mercer, D 2010 'Quarry Quandry' The West Australian 5 August)
- Allows sustainable commercial and residential construction
- Can be recycled, in addition to using recycled materials in manufacture
Regulatory Approval
The Lomwest C4M has regulatory approval from the Western Australian Department of Environment and Conservation.
