matX - innovative approaches to material reuse in WA’s construction industry
The Goods and Materials Exchange Platform (matX) is no longer in use since May 2026 due to the completion of the METRONET program.
The matX is an online marketplace, designed specifically for the construction industry to advertise goods and materials that satisfies the disposal hierarchies for both state and project assets. These goods and materials include extracted, used, surplus and temporary works resources.
In May 2023, the Transport Portfolio adopted matX to help the Office of Major Transport Infrastructure Delivery (OMTID) reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce waste and recoup value from resources left over at the end of projects. Value is recouped by both keeping resources in use and at their highest value and reducing disposal costs, which can be up to two percent of the total construction outlay.
The matX team collaborated with the OMTID Delivery Partners to overcome barriers to reuse and recycling in the construction industry. This included a better understanding of material reuse constraints to improve environmental, commercial and data capture of material disposal processes.
Challenges and outcomes
The adoption and implementation of new systems and ways of working in the construction industry is challenging. Adopting matX was the first step but to use the platform effectively, a number of changes were required. The main changes were improvements to asset disposal hierarchies and updating delivery partner’s commercial processes, so they are capable of savaging value from resale in addition to procuring resources.
By finalisation of the asset disposal process in May 2024, MELconnx recovered over $287,000 for the Transport Portfolio. matX also collaborated with Armadale Line Upgrade Alliance (ALUA) Sustainability Officer, Julia Bairstow, who worked across OMTID Delivery Partners to create fields within matX and a common approach to capture kg CO2-e on matX when creating a listing.
Next steps
The matX is no longer in use since May 2026 due to the completion of the METRONET program.
The platform was established to support delivery of major infrastructure projects and was primarily informed by the METRONET program of works, which was the largest contributor to its development and use. With the completion of the METRONET program, the core purpose and demand for the platform significantly reduced.
During its operation, a number of practical challenges were identified. Project teams were often operating under accelerated delivery timeframes and existing parallel processes, which limited their ability to integrate the platform into established workflows. In addition, internal procurement requirements created constraints on broader uptake across projects.
Over time, it also became apparent that there was a limited customer base for the products and opportunities promoted through the platform. As a result, the platform is no longer in use, and lessons learned have been incorporated into future approaches to project engagement and procurement support.
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Contact info
Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA
Callie Cummings
Callie.Cummings@transport.wa.gov.au
08 92168270