The Importance of Recycling in the Real Estate Market

It’s time to start recycling in the Real Estate Sector, starting at the very core of the process, which isn’t just by recycling items at home, but by changing the very ways and resources of which our houses are made of.

Why is recycling important in the Real Estate Sector?

As we already know, the Real Estate Sector can be one of the most polluting ones, owning up to 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions every year. Not only by using too much first-time-use resources, but also by generating a lot of resource waste every year with building operations and demolitions. 

Did you know that about 40% of global waste generated, can be attributed to Real Estate, and of that about 10 to 20% is considered to come from demolition. Which can generate a lot of unused and wasted resources, of which only about 7% will actually be recycled into new materials or items for home constructions.

This makes out to be very little of resources recycled for the amount of them that are consumed in the construction of buildings. Which is why it’s important to take into account recycled material for your home, from the very early stages of its construction. 

Learn about the materials that can be recycled in home construction 👇

1. Upcycled Wood

Around 2 millions tons of wood is wasted each year when disposed of by different commercial sectors, among them, is the Real Estate Sector, in which every year, first-time-use wood is wasted, when buildings are being demolished. 

Upcycling wood is one current practice of repurposing already used wood into other household appliances, items of furniture, so that this material, and the resources used in their making (like water), aren’t wasted. 

2. Cork Panels

There’s a lot of cork items that we go through daily, like cork boards and wine cork stoppers, that can be remade into materials for construction. Because of the cork’s acoustic and moisture-resistant properties, they make great material for ceiling and floor panels.

A lot of companies like Jelinek Cork Group and Cork ReHarvest, have created programs to recollect used cork and turn them into panels for construction.

3. Newspaper Wood

Newspaper has always been a very reusable and recyclable material, but one of the unexpected sectors in which it can be recycled it’s precisely in Real Estate. 

First made by the Dutch company NewspaperWood, the process is basically turning paper back into wood. By compressing many thin layers of newspaper and glue into blocks, that actually achieve the hard and grainy texture of wood, for many home applications. 

4. Glass Tiles

Did you know that glass is one of the most recyclable materials there are. Because of their natural original materials, like sand, limestone and soda ash; they can be remade endlessly without any loss in its quality or purity.

Glass can either be recycled through a whole process of remaking bottles, or repurposed in other construction materials, like glass tiles. Companies like Fireclay Tile work in turning used glass bottles, and other items, into beautiful glass tiles for bathrooms, kitchens or any other rooms in the house.

5. Plastic Building Blocks

As one of the hardest materials to recycle, and also one of the most polluting ones; Plastic Building Blocks come as a really innovative process to give another use to excessive plastic residuals, like bottles and containers, that would, otherwise, be wasted or thrown away. 

By using Plastic Building Blocks not only do you recycle already existing materials, but also reduce the amount of first-time use of new resources. Companies like ByFusion are actually developing new products based on recycled plastic, that can even have non-toxic manufacturing processes and lower gas emissions.

6. Steel Panels

As one of the most used metals in the world, steel tends to be used in most real estate construction, and it’s also one of the most recycled materials, with over 60% of disposed steel being recycled every year. 

Both steel sheets and scraps can be recycled to be made into new pieces of construction steel; and save raw materials from being wasted. 

Are you interested in learning more about recycling in the Real Estate Sector?

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Sources: Medium, Build Green NH, Climate Biz, Forbes