Latest insights piece by Nick Turner, Head of Surveying, Woodgate & Clark
In this second article in a series, Nick Turner, Head of Surveying at Woodgate & Clark, one of the U.K.’s leading loss adjusters, examines the opportunities for materials to be recycled in building repairs as a key aspect of the circular economy approach in the construction and insurance industries. Check out the full report at the Woodgate & Clark website here.
There are many opportunities for construction materials to be recycled due to the large variety and huge quantities of materials used. Recycling waste reduces disposal costs and carbon emissions. It also helps comply with environmental legislation and restrictions on what can be sent to landfill.
Often the materials used on construction sites are a mixture of waste (new, unused) materials and mixed materials that may already contain a level of recycled materials. This can make recycling difficult. However, there are some simple, yet effective changes builders can make to their operations to allow more waste to be recycled.
Soil Waste
58% of the tonnage received by landfills is soil waste and while soil may not be a building material as such, it is often a byproduct of construction, and its use has a significant impact on the health of our environmentii. A lot of good practice already exists on how best to reuse, recover and recycle soil material but we need to ensure an awareness of this reaches those who work with these materials on a daily basis.
Where excavation cannot be avoided, understanding how soil can be reused and kept within the economy, rather than treating it as a waste product, will reduce landfill, reduce CO2 emissions and have a positive effect on the health of the natural environment.
Aggregates
Approximately 275 million tonnes of aggregates are used each year in the United Kingdom as raw construction materials. Of this, around 70 million tonnes are already derived from recycled or secondary sourcesiii.
There is potential to recycle more aggregates from construction, demolition and excavation wastes that are currently being sent to landfill. Higher volumes obviously make the operation of separating the different materials, but it should be possible to keep broken up concrete and stone separate from steel, earth and soil for example.
Plastic from construction projects
It might come as a surprise but the Construction sector is the second highest user of plastics after packagingiv. Because plastics are a finite resource, the best outcome is to recycle after their initial use.
As more plastic is recovered and recycled, it provides increasing amounts of raw material for the recycling sector. However, there are some barriers to recycling plastic, and involves the builder making changes to their site operations when they have little incentive to do so.
Glass from construction projects
Although glass is a 97% recyclable material, end-of-life glass used in construction often ends up in landfill rather than being recycled. In 2018, almost 200,00 tonnes of glass from construction sites in the UK was sent to landfillv. Glass can be recycled indefinitely within construction, creating a sustainable stream of materials. This involves the builder making changes to their site operations to reduce glass wastevi and allow more to be recycled. As a result, Europe could avoid 925,000 tonnes of landfill every yearvii.
Wood from construction projects
In the UK, wood contributes between 20-30% of all construction debris and it is believed that as much as 10-15% of wood on new construction projects ends up in recycling or waste streams without being used at allviii.
Most types of timber can be recycled. Builders can make simple but effective changes to the site’s operations to allow more wood to be recycled by separating wood waste to avoid contamination, providing a secure storage area to protect the materials, and arranging transport for its collection at regular intervals.
Bricks and blocks from construction projects
Bricks have a lifespan of more than 200 years, and can be reclaimed. Yet 2.6 billion bricks were used in 2019 in the UK and over 500 million of these were imported due to a shortage in the domestic supplyix. The most common sources of brick and block waste include items that are damaged during unloading, storage and cutting, and excess due to over ordering but demolition can provide a source of damaged and reclaimed bricks.
Builders can make some changes to the site’s operations to reduce wastage but one of the most effective actions is planning during the design stage to minimise the need for cutting bricks and blocks and using a lime-based mortar rather than a cement-based mortar -allowing the bricks to be recovered and reused.
Floor and Wall Coverings/Insulation/Packaging
Finally, looking briefly at floor and wall coverings, insulation and packaging. Floor and wall coverings can be recycled by selling it to social enterprises, specialist recycling services or repurposed for road cone, animal bedding, or polypropylene bead manufacturing. Waste can also be minimised by avoiding overordering and reusing spare materials on other projects. Proper storage can prevent damage and increase recycling potential.
Most insulation waste comes from demolition and refurbishment projects due to poor practices like overordering or incorrect specifications. Recycling options are limited, mainly involving direct reuse of off-cuts or sending waste to specialized manufacturers.
Construction packaging, including hazardous materials, can usually be recycled. Builders can facilitate recycling by collecting waste in labelled bins over time and providing staff training on waste management and recycling practices.
The next article will look at the most and least wasteful products in construction and repair.
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