The city of Oakland in California established a deconstruction requirement that ensures that salvageable materials are identified and removed for reuse instead of being recycled or sent to landfill. Image: Pexels/Engin Akyurt The construction industry is not on track to decarbonise by 2050 and uses more resources than most. In 2020, the UK produced a staggering 59.1 million tonnes of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste. Despite most of this material (92.6%) being recycled, much of it was crushed for use in roads and building foundations. Increasing the demand for natural resources and continuously exploiting raw materials is unsustainable. The alternative is to reuse, repair or repurpose materials already in use. But for this to happen, buildings would need to be carefully taken apart ' and their materials kept at their highest possible value. Recycling often compromises the original properties and quality of a material. The result is that window frames, glass and bricks...
learn more
