CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS REVIEW

In construction and redevelopment projects, demolition services are more than just knocking down buildings. They need to be carefully planned and managed. Construction and demolition waste needs to be properly disposed of or recycled for use in other projects. Building debris often contains harmful substances making the need to find alternatives, like sustainable disposal or specialist recycling options instead of landfilling, of prime importance.

For over a decade, NTEX, a leading civil contracting company based in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia, has been bringing sustainability into the realm of excavation and demolition. With a deep
focus on innovation, safety and efficiency, NTEX offers civil construction, demolition, and recycling services, with remediation of sensitive environments such as wastewater treatment plants, and sites contaminated
with hazardous materials like chromium-6 and asbestos. NTEX is also well-acquainted with the regulations and requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and WorkSafe, which it leverages to help clients stay compliant in their civil construction and demolition projects.

“We’re focused on demolition and civil construction projects that are environmentally sensitive and strive to get the most positive outcomes for clients,” says Gerry Breen, Director of NTEX.

The emphasis on maintaining environmental ethics in its demolition projects and embedding sustainable, ecofriendly practices in its daily operations
is what sets NTEX apart. The company’s concrete and debris recycling and repurposing services, and its internal sustainability initiatives all reflect this deeprooted concern for the environment.

NTEX’s unique concrete and asphalt recycling services are enabled by its European-grade recycling equipment that separates waste streams in hard demolition materials. The cutting-edge technology allows NTEX to extract metals from waste concrete, crushing and remanufacturing the remaining concrete into Australian standard specifications for Type 1, Type 2, select fill, general fill, and other aggregates for reuse in infrastructure projects. NTEX’s concrete crushing technology is also completely mobile, enabling crushing, recycling and remanufacturing of concrete and legacy waste in far-off rural and remote transfer stations and communities within the NT region. NTEX’s innovative material tracking system further provides high visibility into the life cycle of the crushed demolition debris for recycling purposes.

NTEX also performs pre-demolition audits by employing the services of an independent industrial hygienist to identify the presence of contaminants and efficiently plan the recycling, or repurposing of the various waste streams generated by demolition projects.
NTEX’s demolition and recycling capabilities rendered significant efficiencies to the Richardson Park demolition and redevelopment project undertaken by the NT government’s Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics. NTEX used its innovative crushing technology to process 4,500 tons of waste concrete from the site that was reused in the stage 2 civil works project back on the same site. It eliminated concrete waste going to landfill, reduced the use of finite resources, decreased hauling needs, diminishing public health and safety risks and the carbon footprint. This resulted in project savings of AU $130,000 and a 98-percent recycling rate.

We’re focused on demolition and civil construction projects that are environmentally sensitive and strive to get the most positive outcomes for clients

NTEX is currently researching an industry-standard solution, in collaboration with the University of Melbourne and Agon Environmental, to safely manage harmful chromium-6 particles in waste concrete, contributing to NT EPA guidelines and government regulations. NTEX is also collaborating with renowned environmental scientist Dr. Scott Keeling of Agon Environmental, to determine the feasibility of using the alkaline crushed waste concrete to neutralize the environmentally hazardous acid sulfate soil prevalent in the NT region. With encouraging preliminary trial results, NTEX is looking forward to reaching full trial for developing an innovative, fullfledged solution.

With such promising offerings in the pipeline, NTEX will build further upon its strong reputation for delivering efficient and high-quality demolition and recycling services, with a prime focus on achieving environmental sustainability.

For more information, contact business@ntex.com.au