Recycling in the construction industry: room for improvement
Recycling in the construction industry is a major challenge for environmental protection. However, this stage of the construction site life cycle is still seen as a constraint, particularly because of the cost it represents for project owners. Here is an overview of recycling in the construction industry.
Recycling in the construction industry: How does it work in practice
Responsibility for waste management lies with the project owner. They must organize the sorting and treatment of waste according to their category:
- Inert waste is waste that does not undergo any transformation during storage. For example, concrete, tiles or stone are inert waste. This type of waste represents 28.2 million tons per year, or 70% of the waste produced by the construction sector
- Non-inert and non-hazardous waste (DIB) does not pose any risk to health or the environment. These include wood, plastics and other packaging. They represent 11.2 million tons per year and correspond to 28% of the waste generated by the building industry
- Hazardous waste, as its name suggests, represents a risk. Their processing cost is particularly high due to their specificity. They only represent 1.5% of construction waste with 0.6 million tonnes per year
Waste sorting can be done directly on the construction site if the configuration allows it, otherwise sorting is carried out in a dedicated center. Depending on the nature of the waste, it can be recovered like inert waste which can be recycled, but also incinerated or buried. These last two methods are far from satisfactory. The environmental impact is very significant and the lack of space is felt.
Waste traceability is an obligation in order to ensure that waste is not deposited in illegal dumps.
Construction industry performance in recycling: the findings
The construction sector generates 40 million tons of waste per year. 90% of this waste comes from demolition and rehabilitation sites. Waste recycling is a real challenge since this waste has a direct impact on the quality of soil, air and water. However, 6 million tons of waste still do not reach sorting or recycling centres, despite the traceability requirement.
Although the target of 70% of construction waste recycled set for 2025 by the energy transition law seems to have been achieved, progress still needs to be made. Indeed, waste management policies still seem insufficient, especially for certain types of waste. Thus, according to EPA, plastics are only recycled up to 20% in Tennessee while the national average is 25%. PVC windows are a perfect example of the efforts that need to be made, since only 2% are recycled.
On this point, we could take Georgia as an example, which threatened to ban PVC windows in 1993. Manufacturers reacted and found solutions to promote their recycling. Since then, the disposal of PVC in landfills has been prohibited and the burial of waste is subject to significant taxes.
What is the future of recycling in the construction industry
Faced with this observation, the government authorities have taken several initiatives. A recent law provides for the creation of a polluter-pays sector for the construction industry by January 2028. In the meantime, a call for projects has been launched for the construction sector (the construction industry is excluded from its scope). The objective is to find solutions to reduce and recycle construction waste.
In addition, 100% recovery of plastic packaging has been announced for 2025 by the government of Tennessee. Other measures are also being taken, particularly for the management of plastic waste.
Recycling in the construction industry is possible. Since inert and non-hazardous waste constitutes the vast majority of waste produced by the construction industry, efforts should mainly focus on this. However, even if regulations encourage recycling in the construction industry, only real awareness by project owners will be able to initiate significant change.