Renovating
Is There a Circular Future for Building Materials?
The construction industry has epic amounts of waste designed into it, but could there be ways to reduce it?
Just why is there so much waste in construction? The architect, academic and activist, Ruth Lang, summed up the fundamental issue in our recent story, Meet the Sustainably-minded Pros Striving for Empty Skips. “We don’t have a lot of the systems and supply chains in place to deal with reuse,” she says, “so it’s easier and cheaper to rely on the business-as-usual model of buying things off the shelf that we then throw away.”
We ask four industry experts how best to disrupt the system and close this circle.
Professional advice from: Cat Hoad of Absolute Project Management; Nigel Van Wassenhoven, CEO and Co-founder of Envriomate; Michael Ghyoot, a collaborator at Rotor DC; Nathan Wride, Head of Partnerships & Innovation at The Pallet LOOP
We ask four industry experts how best to disrupt the system and close this circle.
Professional advice from: Cat Hoad of Absolute Project Management; Nigel Van Wassenhoven, CEO and Co-founder of Envriomate; Michael Ghyoot, a collaborator at Rotor DC; Nathan Wride, Head of Partnerships & Innovation at The Pallet LOOP
Photo courtesy of Enviromate.
Ways the construction industry could reduce emissions
1. By connecting those who are discarding with those in need
Enviromate is a nationwide, and soon-to-be international, digital salvage yard, featuring some items for sale and some for free.
A quick glance at its home page at the time of writing shows a pallet full of coping stones ordered by mistake and offered for free in London; a box of soil pipe parts for sale in Wales, and a tonne bag of gravel up for grabs in Glasgow.
In this digital age of connected communities, marketplaces and the sharing economy, the concept is nothing new. What is new, though, is Enviromate’s construction materials-only niche. Its online shopfront is divided into sections: Building; Plumbing; Carpentry; Electrical; Painting & Decorating; Tools; Free; Other and Wholesalers, this last area being a place where retailers such as builder’s merchants, shops and reclamation yards can easily sell excess or end-of-line stock rather than dumping it.
This specialisation, say Enviromate’s co-founders, Reiss Salustro-Pilson and Nigel Van Wassenhoven, makes it significantly easier for users to find exactly what they need. “Just as brands such as Vinted specialise in clothes and Auto Trader specialises in cars, Enviromate is becoming the go-to place for selling leftover materials, from projects of all sizes, and sourcing necessary building materials,” Nigel says. “Our platform is designed to streamline these transactions, fostering a community that supports sustainability and efficient resource use in the construction industry.”
Ways the construction industry could reduce emissions
1. By connecting those who are discarding with those in need
Enviromate is a nationwide, and soon-to-be international, digital salvage yard, featuring some items for sale and some for free.
A quick glance at its home page at the time of writing shows a pallet full of coping stones ordered by mistake and offered for free in London; a box of soil pipe parts for sale in Wales, and a tonne bag of gravel up for grabs in Glasgow.
In this digital age of connected communities, marketplaces and the sharing economy, the concept is nothing new. What is new, though, is Enviromate’s construction materials-only niche. Its online shopfront is divided into sections: Building; Plumbing; Carpentry; Electrical; Painting & Decorating; Tools; Free; Other and Wholesalers, this last area being a place where retailers such as builder’s merchants, shops and reclamation yards can easily sell excess or end-of-line stock rather than dumping it.
This specialisation, say Enviromate’s co-founders, Reiss Salustro-Pilson and Nigel Van Wassenhoven, makes it significantly easier for users to find exactly what they need. “Just as brands such as Vinted specialise in clothes and Auto Trader specialises in cars, Enviromate is becoming the go-to place for selling leftover materials, from projects of all sizes, and sourcing necessary building materials,” Nigel says. “Our platform is designed to streamline these transactions, fostering a community that supports sustainability and efficient resource use in the construction industry.”
Photo courtesy of Enviromate.
Isn’t it better to buy locally? In many cases, yes. As such, Enviromate encourages hyperlocal shopping to help reduce the carbon footprint involved with transportation.
“The platform has partnered with various local companies to encourage and enable users to be able to find the right materials [nearby],” Nigel says. “By collaborating with local businesses and suppliers, we support local economies and reduce the environmental impact of transportation.”
To boost this ethos, Enviromate provides resources and support to help communities organise local events and initiatives focused on material reuse. There is also a new tool on the platform to track the CO2 levels of materials posted. “It provides users with valuable information to make more sustainable choices,” Nigel says.
Find the team you need for your project in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Isn’t it better to buy locally? In many cases, yes. As such, Enviromate encourages hyperlocal shopping to help reduce the carbon footprint involved with transportation.
“The platform has partnered with various local companies to encourage and enable users to be able to find the right materials [nearby],” Nigel says. “By collaborating with local businesses and suppliers, we support local economies and reduce the environmental impact of transportation.”
To boost this ethos, Enviromate provides resources and support to help communities organise local events and initiatives focused on material reuse. There is also a new tool on the platform to track the CO2 levels of materials posted. “It provides users with valuable information to make more sustainable choices,” Nigel says.
Find the team you need for your project in the Houzz Professionals Directory.
Photo courtesy of Rotor DC.
2. By buying, restoring and selling salvaged materials
Potential extra expense is a significant disincentive to reducing waste, says designer Cat Hoad, who’s also a founding signatory of the sustainability and biodiversity campaigning body, Interior Design Declares.
Reuse and salvage can make for a pricey economic model on a project. “For example, from the designer side, who pays for the additional time required by the builders to strip out in such a way that waste is sorted and in decent condition?” Cat says.
Rotor DC, a cooporative based in Brussels, is pioneering a solution: it operates an online salvage yard, but has a particular focus on non-residential buildings – and in selling items that are in good nick.
“Most of [our] materials come from relatively large-scale renovation projects in office buildings, public equipment and housing estates in Brussels and surrounding areas,” Michael Ghyoot says.
2. By buying, restoring and selling salvaged materials
Potential extra expense is a significant disincentive to reducing waste, says designer Cat Hoad, who’s also a founding signatory of the sustainability and biodiversity campaigning body, Interior Design Declares.
Reuse and salvage can make for a pricey economic model on a project. “For example, from the designer side, who pays for the additional time required by the builders to strip out in such a way that waste is sorted and in decent condition?” Cat says.
Rotor DC, a cooporative based in Brussels, is pioneering a solution: it operates an online salvage yard, but has a particular focus on non-residential buildings – and in selling items that are in good nick.
“Most of [our] materials come from relatively large-scale renovation projects in office buildings, public equipment and housing estates in Brussels and surrounding areas,” Michael Ghyoot says.
Photo courtesy of Rotor DC.
What does it take from the buildings – and what does it do with them? The organisation now buys and sells salvaged materials, mainly things that are up to around 75 years old – industrial quantities of anything from shelving to sanitaryware, bricks to furniture to flooring, tiles, doors, slabs of stone and marble cladding, much of it available online.
What does it take from the buildings – and what does it do with them? The organisation now buys and sells salvaged materials, mainly things that are up to around 75 years old – industrial quantities of anything from shelving to sanitaryware, bricks to furniture to flooring, tiles, doors, slabs of stone and marble cladding, much of it available online.
Photo courtesy of Rotor DC.
Part of Rotor DC’s grand scale is down to the way the salvaging is organised. It’s also gone some way to removing the disincentive Cat described. “We’ve developed the skills to carry out the dismantling of some materials directly on site,” Michael says.
There are also in-house teams trained to restore and repair salvaged items back at HQ. “We also collaborate regularly with contractors,” he adds. “They take care of the dismantling, then we buy salvaged elements from them and take care of the conditioning and marketing.”
Part of Rotor DC’s grand scale is down to the way the salvaging is organised. It’s also gone some way to removing the disincentive Cat described. “We’ve developed the skills to carry out the dismantling of some materials directly on site,” Michael says.
There are also in-house teams trained to restore and repair salvaged items back at HQ. “We also collaborate regularly with contractors,” he adds. “They take care of the dismantling, then we buy salvaged elements from them and take care of the conditioning and marketing.”
Photo courtesy of Rotor DC.
What about broken items? Some things, of course, will be beyond reuse, but many can be revived, so Rotor DC also offers a repair service. For example it has a state-of-the-art machine for cleaning mortar off tiles. There’s also a rental service for furniture and a lamp rewiring department. It’s just a shame – for the UK and Ireland, at least – that all this is in Brussels.
Michael sees the idea spreading, though. “More and more people are getting familiar with the notion, not only in the construction industry, but also among the general public.”
What about broken items? Some things, of course, will be beyond reuse, but many can be revived, so Rotor DC also offers a repair service. For example it has a state-of-the-art machine for cleaning mortar off tiles. There’s also a rental service for furniture and a lamp rewiring department. It’s just a shame – for the UK and Ireland, at least – that all this is in Brussels.
Michael sees the idea spreading, though. “More and more people are getting familiar with the notion, not only in the construction industry, but also among the general public.”
Photo courtesy of The Pallet LOOP.
3. By reducing pallet waste
It’s not just about the building materials themselves: there’s also a huge amount of waste involved in transporting them.
Shockingly, of the 20 million+ transportation pallets manufactured and distributed throughout the UK construction industry annually, less than 10% are reused. It’s estimated that, each year, around 6,000 acres of forestry are harvested to create construction industry pallets. A further 236,000 acres are grown to cater for future demand.*
Paul Lewis, who’d previously run his family’s successful pallet production company, saw first-hand how flawed this system was. In response, he sold the business to start The Pallet LOOP (TPL) with the plan to change the status quo.
His was another simple but powerful idea: the company distributes its pallets using a returns scheme model. Relevant organisations, such as builders’ merchants, materials manufacturers and contractors, can register to be part of the scheme, which rewards them with £4 per pallet returned**.
* Source: The Pallet LOOP
** Or £2 if the pallet is deemed beyond repair.
3. By reducing pallet waste
It’s not just about the building materials themselves: there’s also a huge amount of waste involved in transporting them.
Shockingly, of the 20 million+ transportation pallets manufactured and distributed throughout the UK construction industry annually, less than 10% are reused. It’s estimated that, each year, around 6,000 acres of forestry are harvested to create construction industry pallets. A further 236,000 acres are grown to cater for future demand.*
Paul Lewis, who’d previously run his family’s successful pallet production company, saw first-hand how flawed this system was. In response, he sold the business to start The Pallet LOOP (TPL) with the plan to change the status quo.
His was another simple but powerful idea: the company distributes its pallets using a returns scheme model. Relevant organisations, such as builders’ merchants, materials manufacturers and contractors, can register to be part of the scheme, which rewards them with £4 per pallet returned**.
* Source: The Pallet LOOP
** Or £2 if the pallet is deemed beyond repair.
Photo courtesy of The Pallet LOOP.
How does the scheme work? Significantly, TPL’s pallets are painted green (to distinguish them from the ‘white’, typically single-use pallets already in circulation) and are designed to be more robust than their forebears, which are typically constructed flimsily with single use in mind.
As TPL’s Nathan Wride explains, a building goods manufacturer will have “baked in” the £4 to their packaging costs for the green pallets, along with an issue fee. And it will be the end user, who would otherwise be saddled with the burden of disposing of single-use pallets, who benefits from and is incentivised by the return fee.
Meanwhile, the manufacturer gets to demonstrate sustainable leadership while future-proofing for potential taxes, down the line, on supplying retailers with goods with single-use packaging. “The £4 is the enabler,” Nathan says.
Upon receipt of green pallets, registered organisations can contact The Pallet LOOP, who will swiftly come and take them away. “Within 72 hours if necessary,” Nathan says. The pallets are then inspected and repaired if necessary, before being put back into circulation. TPL also collects old white pallets for a small fee.
“What typically happens to [white] pallets after use is that they get chucked in the wood skip,” Nathan says. “A wood skip costs around £300-£400, so there’s a cost there. Plus pallets contain a lot of air, so it’s sub-optimal to throw them into a skip.”
The company calculates that disposing of pallets this way works out costing the skip-hirer around £8-£10 per pallet. Already you can see how earning, instead, £4 per pallet and not having to worry about disposing of them is an appealing prospect.
Indeed, the company is off to a flying start after signing a partnership deal with British Gypsum, a huge supplier of plaster, plasterboard and plaster accessories and a company that uses approximately 1.6 million pallets every year – all of which will now be green.
How does the scheme work? Significantly, TPL’s pallets are painted green (to distinguish them from the ‘white’, typically single-use pallets already in circulation) and are designed to be more robust than their forebears, which are typically constructed flimsily with single use in mind.
As TPL’s Nathan Wride explains, a building goods manufacturer will have “baked in” the £4 to their packaging costs for the green pallets, along with an issue fee. And it will be the end user, who would otherwise be saddled with the burden of disposing of single-use pallets, who benefits from and is incentivised by the return fee.
Meanwhile, the manufacturer gets to demonstrate sustainable leadership while future-proofing for potential taxes, down the line, on supplying retailers with goods with single-use packaging. “The £4 is the enabler,” Nathan says.
Upon receipt of green pallets, registered organisations can contact The Pallet LOOP, who will swiftly come and take them away. “Within 72 hours if necessary,” Nathan says. The pallets are then inspected and repaired if necessary, before being put back into circulation. TPL also collects old white pallets for a small fee.
“What typically happens to [white] pallets after use is that they get chucked in the wood skip,” Nathan says. “A wood skip costs around £300-£400, so there’s a cost there. Plus pallets contain a lot of air, so it’s sub-optimal to throw them into a skip.”
The company calculates that disposing of pallets this way works out costing the skip-hirer around £8-£10 per pallet. Already you can see how earning, instead, £4 per pallet and not having to worry about disposing of them is an appealing prospect.
Indeed, the company is off to a flying start after signing a partnership deal with British Gypsum, a huge supplier of plaster, plasterboard and plaster accessories and a company that uses approximately 1.6 million pallets every year – all of which will now be green.
What can homeowners do to be part of this growing circular economy?
Support this fledgling shift in any way you can. A few ways to do this include:
Support this fledgling shift in any way you can. A few ways to do this include:
- Sound out contractors before you hire, and ask about their approach to reuse.
- Spread the word: tell them about the organisations featured here, along with any others you’ve come across, and mention it in reviews when professionals are positive about reuse and salvage.
- Build time into your project to seek out sources of salvaged materials and discuss with your builders the additional cost of working with such materials. Higher labour costs may simply balance out the reduced price of second-hand materials.
- Air with your pro the possibility of reducing skip use by giving away or selling on materials removed during a project, and reuse anything you can on site.
“I’m very interested in what happens to the waste from residential renovation projects,” Cat says, adding that she’s always keen to not let discarded items from the projects she works on go to waste. “Freecycle is amazing and we’ve had entire house contents hoovered up that way. You may not make any money, but you also may not need to pay for a skip.
“However, while there are exciting developments with exchanges for waste, there are issues with how to do this economically for small quantities,” she adds.
Cat would like to see added incentives, such as tax breaks. “In other words, zero-rating VAT on the costs – labour and associated materials – of dealing with waste in this way, ie, before it goes into a skip, or some reasonably light-touch regulation coupled with, say, grants towards the cost. And grants that are easy to access, well-promoted and don’t require people to only use a limited shortlist of specified contractors.”
“We still feel a big gap between ideas and actions,” Michael agrees. “Despite the evident benefits of reuse – less material consumption, much lower greenhouse gas emissions – adopting salvage and reuse habits remains challenging in many contexts. It calls for an in-depth rethinking of the way we design, build, consume, award public contracts and organise work.
“It moves,” he says, “but slowly.”
Tell us…
Have reused building materials been part of your renovation project? If not, would you like them to have been? Let us know the details in the Comments.
“However, while there are exciting developments with exchanges for waste, there are issues with how to do this economically for small quantities,” she adds.
Cat would like to see added incentives, such as tax breaks. “In other words, zero-rating VAT on the costs – labour and associated materials – of dealing with waste in this way, ie, before it goes into a skip, or some reasonably light-touch regulation coupled with, say, grants towards the cost. And grants that are easy to access, well-promoted and don’t require people to only use a limited shortlist of specified contractors.”
“We still feel a big gap between ideas and actions,” Michael agrees. “Despite the evident benefits of reuse – less material consumption, much lower greenhouse gas emissions – adopting salvage and reuse habits remains challenging in many contexts. It calls for an in-depth rethinking of the way we design, build, consume, award public contracts and organise work.
“It moves,” he says, “but slowly.”
Tell us…
Have reused building materials been part of your renovation project? If not, would you like them to have been? Let us know the details in the Comments.
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The UK construction industry is responsible for 32% of all landfill waste. And the breakdown is just as startling: the waste amounts to 420 million tonnes of materials, 13% of which are brand new or have never been used.
The cost of this wastage is £15 billion per year.* And since much of the raw material used in construction is high in embodied carbon, this risks pushing the construction sector further away from reaching net zero in line with the Government’s 2050 deadline.**
The better news is that, according to a 2023 report by the Green Alliance, the UK’s construction sector could reduce its emissions by two-thirds within just 12 years, solely by cutting its use of raw materials. But how?
* Source: Enviromate
** Source: Green Alliance