A Step-by-Step Guide
By Lou Farrell of Revolutionized
Anyone following sustainability discourse understands the gravity of building emissions. The sector must take a proactive approach to construction waste management to reduce its carbon footprint across the industry.
However, each material type that comprises the bulk of what is sent to landfills from building sites has unique characteristics to consider. Every option has singular traits, demanding distinct strategies for handling and processing waste.
What does this look like in an ideal, carbon-friendly and potentially circular future?
Concrete
The cement industry has one of the most noteworthy reputations of any construction material in environmental conversations. It is used extensively in construction and produces a great deal of waste in the process.
Types of Construction Projects
Concrete is one of the most foundational construction materials, serving as the foundation or walls for commercial and residential buildings. If there is a structural component, there is a high chance it includes concrete. Over time, these fixtures erode or break. They also make up a bulk of demolition waste.
Adverse Environmental Impact
Concrete is ranked fourth in the world for producing the most emissions, totaling 8% of the Earth’s carbon dioxide output. Therefore, one of the most rapid ways to make construction waste management more eco-friendly is to adopt sustainable concrete oversight. Additionally, its inability to break down easily means it occupies a significant amount of space in landfills.
Ways to Manage Concrete
Over-ordering concrete and overreliance on it are prominent issues in builds because this has become the standard. Conscious procurement is crucial for preventing overconsumption and lowering concrete’s presence in demolition waste. Large pieces can also be repurposed in other projects, such as roadways, without compromising quality. This maximizes their life cycle and promotes a circular economy.
Wood
Wood has undergone numerous iterations in the construction world, including one of its most recent sustainability trends, mass timber. Stakeholders should understand the broader implications of what happens when it all becomes trash.
Types of Construction Projects
Wood is a valuable structural asset, but it is also a popular aesthetic choice. Wooden walls and flooring are common, but so are beams, scaffolding and more. However, to prevent rotting and other degradation, many woods are finished with chemicals or adhesives, tarnishing their life cycle assessments.
Adverse Environmental Impact
Although wood is a completely renewable and biodegradable resource on paper, its role in construction has a surprising impact on the environment. The toxic elements in most sealants and coatings prevent the wood from biodegrading and release harmful compounds into the atmosphere. It also produces methane upon decomposition when not in a controlled area, such as in anaerobic digesters.
Ways to Manage Wood
Wood makes up anywhere from 20% to 30% of construction and demolition waste, with a high chance of going straight to landfills instead of being repurposed. This includes building materials and other construction waste, such as pallets, door frames and chipboard.
Companies must prioritize using salvaged wood in projects to reduce the need for harvesting virgin materials. Firms can also partner with other industries, like agriculture, to repurpose chips as everything from brown matter for compost to animal bedding.
Drywall
One of the most crucial elements for establishing a building’s interior is also a major contributor to pollution and carbon emissions.
Types of Construction Projects
Gypsum board is a staple for interior finishings. It is inexpensive and disposable, meaning construction workers often have a lot of it to waste or many unusable off-cuts. They cannot be sent to another installation, so they go to the landfill.
Adverse Environmental Impact
As drywall breaks down into smaller pieces and is exposed to moisture and other trash, it produces hydrogen sulfide gas that could become toxic. Because of the sheer amount of drywall that becomes waste, these gaseous concentrations can go well above safe limits and damage wildlife and people.
Ways to Manage Drywall
Construction professionals can take action on multiple fronts. Careful cutting of drywall is essential for maximizing the use of every board. If gypsum board does need to be disposed of, it should be finely ground and reused as an additive for other construction materials, such as cement. This prevents particles from entering the soil and releasing harmful chemicals into the air.
Bricks and Masonry
Known for their durability and color, bricks and stonework are indispensable elements of the construction process, but workers must adopt greener practices.
Types of Construction Projects
From walkways to facades, bricks and masonry are common features of older buildings, giving them a unique character. While many desire to preserve these structures, many are falling apart due to age, resulting in copious amounts of construction waste.
Adverse Environmental Impact
Processing bricks requires a large amount of energy at the beginning of their life cycle, making their contribution to landfills even more dire. They need a significant amount of space, and their weight can suffocate the rest of the content in these dump sites. This causes everything to biodegrade more slowly or produce pollutants.
Ways to Manage Bricks and Masonry
Bricks have some of the longest shelf lives of any building material, so construction experts can carefully remove them from demolition efforts instead of destroying their integrity. They are easily repurposed. Additionally, they can be transformed and supplemented to make lower-carbon bricks. The waste from firing clay bricks is recyclable, which saves 20% in firing power and can create a product that can reduce 2 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Metals
Every building contains metal, such as steel, that will eventually bend, crack or corrode. Therefore, it’s vital to consider its impact on the environment.
Types of Construction Projects
Metals are commonly found in buildings’ frames, roofs, and electrical and plumbing infrastructure. However, the types of metals used in projects are so diverse that they can appear almost anywhere in the blueprint.
Adverse Environmental Impact
Copper wires, metal sheets and corroded beams all have destructive impacts on the environment at the end of their lives. Whether it is releasing chemicals or injuring wildlife, responsible construction waste management controls and isolates metals as much as possible.
Ways to Manage Metals
Construction metals have some of the highest potential for reuse among all materials. Recycling materials keeps scraps out of landfills, thereby protecting communities and public health from toxic chemicals and other harmful waste. Although melting and reshaping require high temperatures, recycling remains more eco-friendly than extracting new, raw resources from the environment.
Plastics
Most focus on major structural components of construction waste, but plastic is a deceptively significant contributor that requires effective management techniques.
Types of Construction Projects
Plastic is commonly used in insulation, frames and piping. However, it is also a notable material during the building process in the form of packaging. Many components, machines and tools come in plastic packaging that needs to be disposed of.
Adverse Environmental Impact
Microplastics are among the most widely discussed concerns in modern pollution. It has sparked legislation because of its damage to soil structures, water quality, biodiversity and human health. Even the smallest plastic bits of packaging break down from a construction project or demolition and travel throughout the ecosystem.
Ways to Manage Plastics
Investing in third parties and suppliers that use alternative materials can stop plastic from entering the jobsite. Additionally, providing robust waste management vessels on the property so that plastic is properly recycled can increase the percentage of trash that has a chance for a second life. Educating staff is key, so they know where to take materials and what is eligible for reuse.
Glass
Buildings with glass walls are most prevalent in urbanized areas. While this may be a temporary trend, glass has always been a mainstay of construction, and, therefore, its waste composition.
Types of Construction Projects
Windows, doors and decorative aspects of buildings may contain glass, which is one of the most fragile elements of any structure. They will inevitably break, with little hope of repair.
Adverse Environmental Impact
Glass breaks into smaller pieces but is not biodegradable. Being careless with glass installations also results in the creation of new fixtures, which require significant energy to manufacture and ship safely. The beginning of the value chain requires invasive sand mining, which is leading to global shortages and other environmental crises.
Ways to Manage Glass
Even in shards, glass can be salvaged and refashioned into new products for buildings. It is possible to melt it down to make smaller items and fixtures. Alternatively, it can also be used as a supplement for aggregate for concrete beams. Similar to melting metals, it requires energy but reduces waste in the long term, considering its life cycle assessment.
Embracing Sustainable Construction Waste Management
Waste management varies for each material. Companies have an opportunity to minimize it in each phase of the construction process, from acquisition to disposal. Collaborating with the industry as a whole is one of the most effective ways to move forward. Establishing new standards and regulations for more eco-friendly legislation will be a good starting point, while also engaging with other sectors to explore ways to promote circularity in innovative ways.
Lou Farrell
Lou is the senior editor of environmental science and technology for Revolutionized, with over four years of experience covering topics related to sustainability, eco-friendly practices, green construction, and much more. He greatly enjoys being able to both pursue his passion for writing, and share his knowledge with others.