W115: Construction Materials Stewardship - Test Input

preference to recycling
Encourage the reuse of products and
materials in preference to recycling
reduction and reuse. It is important to
redress the balance
BMRA 15 2008 Recycling has been promoted above
reduction and reuse. It is important to
redress the balance
Related Objective
4 Develop ways of using material wastes as raw materials for making construction materials
This issue has been top of the agenda in GB with multiple organisations devoted to increasing
the rate of recycling and providing routes for recyclate – the construction sector is a big target
for recycled content owing to the huge mass of materials used each year. It is now important to
refocus efforts on waste reduction and reuse.
Headline figures for construction products:
2005
Total value = £28 billion
Total mass = 376 million tonnes
Total recycled/secondary mass = 80 million tonnes (or 21%)
Previous data was collected in 1998 16 using the much of same primary data source (Prodcom
reports) but not the same methodology. Here the headline figures were:
1998
Total mass = 363 million tonnes
Total recycled/secondary mass = 65 million tonnes (or 18%)
Total reclaimed mass = 3 million tonnes
Related Objective
5 Develop methodologies for designing for closed loop materials use and for the effective
recovery of materials and components from existing buildings
Pre-demolition audits use ‘SMARTAudit’ methodology 17 and apply it to identify and target key
demolition products (KDPs) generated from a demolition project.
Pre-demolition audits:
• Identify volumes of wastes so a company can plan ‘re-use, recycling and recovery’
activities prior to work starting.
• Are tailor-made for each demolition project. Available services include:
o Identifying markets for recycled or recovered material
o Identifying reclamation and re-use potential both on-site and off-site
o Local and national material valuation
o Segregation recommendations and
o Environmental quantification based on BRE’s Environmental Profiling
methodology.
• Increase material and labour efficiency, reduce waste and maximise profit.
15 Building Materials Reuse Association
16 The Construction industry mass balance: resource use, wastes and emissions. Biffaward & Viridis
2002
17 See www.smartwaste.co.uk
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