Resource Efficiency Atlas - Publication Server of the Wuppertal ...

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Examples for resource efficiency | Strategies | Redesign and Re-use
Strategies
Redesign and
Re-use
Ressourceneffizienzatlas
Resource Efficiency Atlas
Product-Service-System
(use-phase)
New production and
consumption patterns
Inclusion of RE into
Standards
A Swiss initiative shows how building materials can be handled in
a closed loop
Gravel for future generations
The construction industry uses large quantities of materials. Cities offer an enormous stock of
unused resources and many elements of construction waste, which can be recycled. The most
prominent problem: the image of waste.
Public Building of recycling-concrete
(Source: AWEL Amt für Abfall, Wasser, Energie und Luft)
About 50 million tons of mineral building materials are
used in Switzerland each year. Thus, the construction industry
is one of the industries with the highest material
requirements. At the same time, large quantities of construction
waste materials are accumulated each year due
to redevelopment and demolition of existing buildings.
These materials, however, can be recycled and used in cement
production, for example. A study by the “Office for
Waste, Water, Energy and Air“ (AWEL) of the canton Zurich
from 2003 concludes that there is no quality loss if these
materials are recycled. At present, concrete from recycled
material still has different characteristics than the primary
alternative. However, if these characteristics are taken
into account in the early stages of building planning process,
recycled concretes can be used even for structurally
challenging places. This certainly requires a new way of
thinking in the construction industry. Therefore, the AWEL
initiated the Swiss information alliance “gravel for future
generations“. This initiative aims to convey knowledge of
using construction waste and to facilitate information exchange
between science and practice.
Resource Efficiency
First of all, reusing construction waste reduces primary
gravel resources and the demand of land for gravel exploitation.
Moreover, the disposal of demolition material
becomes redundant if recycled material is used. The use
of construction waste compared to primary raw materials
has only a minor influence on the production process of
concrete and the cement needed for it. In order to determine
the environmental impact of the combustion of fossil
raw materials during the process, the content and type of
cement as well as the transportation distance are crucial.
This is a result of a lifecycle assessment done by the Swiss