Right now, construction is booming across Australia, spurred by a home renovation revolution, public transport upgrades and the unprecedented rollout of large-scale infrastructure projects.

As this boom grows, so too does the task of construction and demolition recycling. This points to the critical need for a more circular approach to this industry and its resources.

The construction and demolition (C&D) recycling sector can be divided into two important functions. The first is the recovery of materials from construction and demolition activities. The second is recycling these recovered materials back into construction and other applications. Both functions play an important role in the circular economy. They present opportunities in design, procurement and innovation.

More than Emissions

Looking at the built environment, we have seen the leaders in Australia’s building sector taking great strides in reducing operational emissions over the last decade. Australia is already a global leader in property sustainability. It has been placed at the top of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark for environmental, social and governance rankings for eleven years.

Strong and committed industry leadership has underpinned the sector’s progress towards net zero by or before 2030 through outstanding collaborative enterprises and progress at a regulatory and market level. With solid advances in emissions reduction, it is now time for the sector to turn its attention to circularity: cradle to cradle thinking. This includes uptake of recycled materials.

Driven by Design

At the Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR) we view all waste as a potential resource. We need to stop thinking of materials as being end-of-life, and start treating them as end-of-this-life – waiting to be reimagined and remanufactured into another product. This reincarnation is central to a circular approach and begins with design.

For the construction industry, the first and most important step in circularity is designing out limited use and future ‘waste’ materials in the first place.

A priority for designers and developers must be to procure recoverable, reusable and recyclable materials. This is in addition to using recovered and recycled materials in projects.

We need to design for adaptability, disassembly, deconstruction and recovery. Small changes can make big impacts. For example, using accessible connections and mechanical joinery – rather than chemical joinery like glues – to enable efficient, effective and recoverable deconstruction.

There is also an opportunity for better collaboration between constructors and recyclers to improve resource recovery outcomes onsite.  For example, Job Site Recyclers in Victoria works with constructors to source-separate discarded materials onsite. This not only maximises recycling and reuse outcomes but also improves site cleanliness and safety.

Procuring Recycled

Recyclers all over Australia are already producing innovative, stronger and more cost-effective recycled content for use in buildings and private construction. This ranges from major works to home renovations. We are now making everything from low carbon bricks from organic waste to road-base asphalt additive from toner cartridges and more.

This year, saveBOARD will be setting up a facility in NSW to cater to the construction industry. saveBOARD is a brand-new low carbon building product made from recycled drink cartons. This transformes this hard-to-recycle form of packaging into building materials, such as internal linings and roofing substrates. These recycled boards are also re-recyclable back into new boards!

Time for the recycled rubber to hit the road

Our recyclers are gearing up for a new era of productivity and modernisation. Innovative, stronger and more cost-effective recycled content is being developed and used in buildings and private construction across Australia – from major works to home renovations. But uptake needs to be  scaled up.

Our Federal, State and Territory governments are jointly the largest infrastructure client and major procurer of goods in Australia. But despite commitment at a policy level, they have been slow to implement strong circular outcomes in construction.

The sector has seen some stand-out projects. One example is the world’s first recycled plastic freeway noise wall in Victoria, produced by Pact Group. There is potential for more.

The Ecologiq initiative supports the implementation of the Victorian Government’s Recycled First policy for major transport infrastructure projects.  Ecologiq provides a template for engagement between infrastructure project leaders and recycled product manufacturers, to support the procurement of fit-for-purpose materials for government-funded projects.  This initiative should be replicated across Australia.

We need to move from exemplar projects to mainstreaming the uptake of circular construction methods.  And given the universal commitment across all of Australia’s governments to a circular economy, publicly funded projects must take the lead.

Throughout the building lifecycle, there are opportunities to apply zero waste principles and embed circularity. This includes from design to construction, to occupation, to adaptation and demolition. The innovative design solutions and building materials that Australian recyclers are already developing means that now more than ever, there are diverse options and possibilities available for procurers.

As just one part of the circular economy, the recycling and resource recovery industry generates over $15 billion in value to the Australian economy and employs over 50,000 people. Further developing domestic end markets in major industries like construction will give us the ability to recover more resources and recycle more here in Australia.

The result will be great outcomes for people, places and our collective prosperity.