reuse construction waste

Best Ways to Re-use Your Waste in the Construction Industry

In the construction industry each year around 400 million tonnes of material is used whilst 100 million tonnes of waste is produced, which equates to around 25 million tonnes of construction waste disposed at landfill. During construction and remodeling projects it is imperative to identify ways you can reuse the materials. Throughout this article we will be explaining just how to do that.

Ways To Reuse Construction Waste

When it comes to remodeling, building or gardening a huge amount of construction waste can easily be produced, this is becoming more and more difficult to dispose of. Commercial waste collection might not fit into your schedule or taking it to the tip might not be practical for you, not to mention you’d also require a waste carriers licence. This is where re-using materials can be the perfect solution for you and your business. Below are a few things you can do to get you started:

construction waste
builders waste
  • Collect off cuts and use first instead of new materials
  • Co-ordinate trades so left over materials from one can be used for another and vise versa
  • Fix temporary materials (e.g. timber hoarding) so they can be dismantled and reused many times
  • If you can’t reuse materials on the same project, don’t throw them away, they might be perfect for future projects!
  • Return, sell or donate un-used and salvaged materials
  • Repair items (e.g. pallets) so they can be reused or returned to the supplier

Reducing & Re-using

Reducing and reusing can also help conserve natural resources, this includes reducing CO2 emissions and in turn reducing your carbon footprint too. Instead of transporting the waste and emitting out emissions and maybe having to make multiple trips, reuse the waste where it is or have a skip company pick it up. Risby homes (builders) estimated that they make a saving of £13,000 on just one project by reducing and reusing waste and sorting for recycling, you can do this too!

Read more here for more tips and tricks on waste management in the construction industry.