Construction and Demolition Materials

Construction and demolition materials can constitute up to 40% of the waste generated in Australia each year. It makes good sense to recover and recycle as any of these materials as possible.

What can I do?

If you are an individual who is having a house or extension built on an existing home (for example) ask contractors what they do with the waste produced in construction. Encourage the contractor to investigate recycling options or consider hiring a contractor that does recycle. In Adelaide, South Australia, recycling building and demolition waste is just about as easy as landfilling it, so it's worth demanding that the right thing is done with your waste.

If you are in the construction and demolition industries, you should develop a waste minimisation strategy which includes:

• a waste audit
• a waste minimisation plan
• management and training
• site arrangements
• contracts and purchasing

Details on this process are available in the Commonwealth Department of the Environment's WasteWise Construction Program, 1998

Materials that can be recycled

MATERIAL	REUSE AND RECYCLING
Masonry, concrete, construction aggregate	Pavements, roads, carparks, driveways, pipe bedding, shoulder aggregate, erosion control, landscaping.
Bricks, tiles	Salvaged and resold.
Timber	Floor boards, reconstituted panelboards, doors, furniture, fencing, mulch.
Glass	Crushed glass reused as compaction fill.
Insulation material	Housing insulation.
Metals	Remelted and recycled as secondary materials for structural steel, roofing, piping etc.
Trees, organic matter	Compost.
Plastics	Recycled as secondary materials for products e.g. playground, park benches, tables.
Paper, cardboard	Mulch, compost, animal bedding, newsprint, egg cartons, packaging material.
Fittings (bath, toilets, sinks)	Salvaged and resold.

Benefits of recycling construction and demolition waste

Substantial monetary savings can be attained by reducing and recycling waste generated by the building and construction industry.

Most quarried products can be replaced with recycled material which is often cheaper in price. Crushed brick and concrete products are excellent alternatives to quarried material, and reinforced concrete can be reused as special landfill and foundation material for new projects. By reducing the need for raw materials from quarries, there are considerable environmental benefits in terms of resource and energy conservation, aesthetic value and avoided environmental harm and risks.

During the construction process, an excessive amount of waste is generated. This can be in the form of materials that need to be cleared from the site, such as trees and soil, left over materials and off-cuts, and post-consumption materials. Removal of these materials incur labour, storage and transportation costs, and landfill dumping fees as well. The cost of removal and disposal can be significant. An on site study by Fletcher Construction found that waste volumes could be greatly reduced through recycling education of the workforce and implementing a simple waste management strategy. The cost of removing waste from the construction sites was halved and the amount of waste going to landfill reduced by 60% (Stickels 1994). Being green leads to lower costs and projected a better public image.

References

Clean Washington Centre, undated, Construction & Landclearing Market Assessment,Fact Sheets.

Environment Australia, 1998, WasteWise Construction Program Handbook, Techniques for reducing construction waste, Commonwealth Department of the Environment.

Environment Australia, undated, Construction and Demolition Waste, an information sheet from the Environment Protection Group.

Government of South Australia, undated, Recycled Pavement Materials, Transport SA brochure.

McKeller J, 1991, The Recycling of Building and Demolition Materials- a major opportunity to reduce waste going to landfill, Recyclex 91 Conference Papers, 9th & 10th September 1991.

Recycle 2000 Fact Sheets.

Stickles G, 1994, Construction company finds being green pays dividends, Business Review Weekly, July 4, 1994.