{"id":1891,"date":"2023-02-16T15:24:07","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T13:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/?p=1891"},"modified":"2024-06-12T11:28:14","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T09:28:14","slug":"recycled-construction-materials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/recycled-construction-materials","title":{"rendered":"What are recycled construction materials?"},"content":{"rendered":" \n    <div class=\"c-post--header\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/materiales-construccion-reutilizables.jpg);\">\n        <a href=\"\" class=\"c-back-action\">\n            Go back        <\/a>\n        <h1>What are recycled construction materials?<\/h1>\n\t\t<p class=\"c-post--author\">\n\t\t\tAuthor:\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/author\/scrapad-admin\/\">ScrapAd<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n        <div class=\"c-post--meta\">\n            <p>16\/02\/2023<\/p>\n            <div class=\"c-post--actions\">\n                <a onclick=\"window.print()\" class=\"c-article__action\">\n                    <i class=\"large material-icons icon\">print<\/i>\n                <\/a>\n                <a data-clipboard-text=\"\" class=\"c-article__action\">\n                    <i class=\"large material-icons icon\">content_copy<\/i>\n                <\/a>\n                <span class=\"c-article__action share__trigger\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"large material-icons icon\">share<\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"share__displays\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/scrapad-blocks\/assets\/icons\/share\/facebook.svg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/scrapad-blocks\/assets\/icons\/share\/twitter.svg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=&amp;title=&amp;summary=&amp;source=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/scrapad-blocks\/assets\/icons\/share\/linkedin.svg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"mailto:info@scrapad.com?&amp;cc=&amp;bcc=&amp;subject=&amp;body=\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/scrapad-blocks\/assets\/icons\/share\/email.svg\" alt=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    \n\n \n    <section class=\"c-container \" style=\" background-color: #FBFBFB; background-size: cover; --xsPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --smPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --mdPadding: 80px 100px 80px 100px; --lgPadding: 80px 100px 80px 100px; --xlPadding: 80px 100px 80px 100px; --xxlPadding: 80px 200px 80px 200px;  \">\n        \n<div class=\"wp-block-scrapad-blocks-container c-post\">\n<div class=\"c-article__desc wp-block-scrapad-blocks-article-desc\">\n<p>The construction sector is&nbsp;<strong>one of the sectors that currently causes the greatest environmental impact<\/strong>, due to the poor management of the large amount of waste it generates. This waste, called&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/construction-and-demolition-waste-gains-weight-in-the-circular-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Demolition and Construction Waste<\/a>&nbsp;(CDW), generally ends up in landfill if it is not recycled or reused, like the vast majority of materials. So, in this article we tell you which are&nbsp;<strong>the most common recycled construction materials<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recyclable materials in construction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Building with recycled materials is the&nbsp;<strong>process of reusing discarded elements to reuse them for the same purpose, the construction of new buildings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/the-relevance-of-recycling-in-the-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">importance of recycling<\/a>&nbsp;is increasingly present in all areas of our lives, and construction is no exception.&nbsp;<strong>More than 75% of the consumption of the earth&#8217;s natural resources is the responsibility of the construction industry<\/strong>. It is in this way that it is understood that on-site waste management is very important, since it is not only the construction industry that consumes the most raw materials, but also generates the largest quantities of waste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, for a more sustainable purpose,&nbsp;<strong>this&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/types-of-industrial-waste\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">type of industrial waste<\/a><strong>&nbsp;could be valid for reuse<\/strong>&nbsp;if it is correctly treated and destined.&nbsp;<strong>Reusable building materials can replace those that are extracted for the first time<\/strong>, resulting in new parts or construction elements while&nbsp;<strong>maintaining their full quality<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is true, though, that not all materials can have a second life. Therefore, here is a list of those that are mainly recycled and reused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Concrete<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Concrete is one of those construction materials that can be recycled. However, in order to recycle hardened concrete, a special crusher must be used to produce what is called &#8220;<strong>recycled aggregate<\/strong>&#8220;. It used to be used only as an underlay, but it has now been proven that structural elements of 30 to 40 MPa can be created with appropriate technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scrap<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally,&nbsp;<strong>all&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/types-of-scrap-metal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">types of scrap<\/a>&nbsp;in a construction can be reused<\/strong>&nbsp;by taking it to an authorised recycling centre. Whether ferrous or non-ferrous, they can be separated, recycled and reused in other formats.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/aluminum-sustainable-material\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aluminium is a sustainable<\/a>&nbsp;material, and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/aluminium-recycling-process\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">aluminium recycling process<\/a>&nbsp;requires only 5% of the energy needed to produce primary aluminium<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the&nbsp;<strong>non-ferrous metals<\/strong>, however,&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/materials\/copper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">copper<\/a>&nbsp;is the most important<\/strong>, as it retains practically the same qualities and characteristics, which is why it is so highly valued.&nbsp;Among the&nbsp;<strong>ferrous metals<\/strong>, one of the most sought-after is&nbsp;<strong>steel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Steel<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/materials\/iron-steel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steel<\/a>&nbsp;can be made by combining iron and coal, by heating in a blast furnace or by&nbsp;<strong>recycling scrap<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/materials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recyclable material<\/a>&nbsp;can be&nbsp;<strong>reprocessed without affecting its quality<\/strong>, and it consumes 80% less electricity to recycle than to produce it. It is usually reused in nails, wires or metal profiles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The use of\u00a0recycled wood<strong>\u00a0is very common in construction<\/strong>. Hardwoods, if kept in good condition, can last for hundreds of years. They are often used in large, structural elements or for the manufacture of other components such as boxes or pallets. Similarly, softer woods can also be recycled, especially as raw material for the panel industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nevertheless,&nbsp;<strong>recycled wood is most commonly used for the manufacture of MDF sheets for carpentry<\/strong>. Alternatively, waste wood&nbsp;<strong>can also be disposed of for energy production<\/strong>, so-called biomass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gypsum<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Recycled gypsum, with proper waste management,&nbsp;<strong>retains the same physical and mechanical characteristics as traditional gypsum, at a lower cost<\/strong>. However, some caution should be exercised since, if disposed of inappropriately, as&nbsp;<strong>it is a toxic material<\/strong>, it can release flammable hydrogen sulphide, contaminating the soil and groundwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Glass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Glass has a rather&nbsp;<strong>more complicated recycling process<\/strong>&nbsp;than the previous building materials, due to its&nbsp;<strong>different chemical composition and melting temperature<\/strong>&nbsp;(in the case of windows, for example), which prevents it from being mixed with other glass objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However,\u00a0glass waste\u00a0can be melted down to produce\u00a0<strong>glass fibre<\/strong>, which is used in yellow and white reflective paints or asphalt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Importance of recycling building materials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<strong>recycling of materials in the construction industry is essential<\/strong>&nbsp;in order to curb an environmental impact that is increasingly present in our lives. In the end, maximising the reuse of this waste will mean that the companies in the sector themselves will be the ones to generate new raw materials from the recycling of these materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, the use of reusable building materials has numerous&nbsp;<strong>advantages and benefits<\/strong>&nbsp;such as the&nbsp;<strong>cost savings<\/strong>&nbsp;that we have already mentioned in each material,&nbsp;<strong>minimising the volume of discarded waste<\/strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>conserving energy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At ScrapAd we strongly believe in reusing and adopting a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/benefits-of-a-circular-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">circular economy<\/a>&nbsp;to help combat the effects of climate change. That&#8217;s why we offer a service that helps companies in the recycling sector to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">buy and sell scrap metal<\/a>&nbsp;and other recyclable materials.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Contact us<\/a>&nbsp;and find out what we can do for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n    \n\n    <div class=\"c-container c-post--related\" style=\"background-color: #F7F5F2; --xsPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --smPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --mdPadding: 40px 25px 40px 25px; --lgPadding: 72px 100px 72px 100px; --xlPadding: 72px 100px 72px 100px; --xxlPadding: 72px 100px 72px 100px;\">\n        <div class=\"container\">\n            <h3 class=\"c-article__side__heading\">Other posts that may interest you\u2026<\/h3>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"scrapad-blocks-related glide\" data-autoplay=\"4000\" data-views-desktop=\"3\" data-views-tablet=\"2\" data-views-mobile=\"1\" data-mode=\"slider\">  \n            <div class=\"container glide__track\" data-glide-el=\"track\">\n                <div class=\"row slider-mobile glide__slides\">\n                                                                         \n                            <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6 glide__slide\">\n                                    <div class=\"c-blog__item\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/innovation-in-metal-recycling-artificial-intelligence-robotics-and-emerging-technologies\/\" class=\"c-blog__item--inner\">\n            <div class=\"c-blog__item__header\">\n                <div\n                    class=\"c-blog__item__image\"\n                    style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/02_58J0671_2-0d3c326ba40c12cc.jpeg;\"\n                ><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item_body\">\n                    <h4 class=\"c-blog__item__title\">Innovation in metal recycling: Artificial intelligence, robotics, and emerging technologies<\/h4>\n                    <div class=\"c-blog__item__meta\">\n                        <span class=\"c-blog__item__date\">18\/03\/2025<\/span>\n                    <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__desc\">\n                    <p>In the UK, waste management is regulated by a number of pieces of legislation that set out specific obligations for waste brokers and dealers. They play crucial roles in the waste management chain and must comply with the following legal responsibilities.<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__footer\">\n                    <span class=\"c-blog__item__link\">Show details<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                     \n                            <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6 glide__slide\">\n                                    <div class=\"c-blog__item\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/how-the-recycling-process-works\/\" class=\"c-blog__item--inner\">\n            <div class=\"c-blog__item__header\">\n                <div\n                    class=\"c-blog__item__image\"\n                    style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/cadena-del-reciclaje.jpg;\"\n                ><\/div>\n               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do not have a negative impact on our environment.<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__footer\">\n                    <span class=\"c-blog__item__link\">Show details<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                     \n                            <div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6 glide__slide\">\n                                    <div class=\"c-blog__item\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/blog\/differences-between-recycling-and-reuse\/\" class=\"c-blog__item--inner\">\n            <div class=\"c-blog__item__header\">\n                <div\n                    class=\"c-blog__item__image\"\n                    style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/scrapad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/diferencias-reciclaje-reutilizacion.png;\"\n                ><\/div>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item_body\">\n                    <h4 class=\"c-blog__item__title\">Differences between recycling and reuse<\/h4>\n                    <div class=\"c-blog__item__meta\">\n                        <span class=\"c-blog__item__date\">08\/07\/2024<\/span>\n                    <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__desc\">\n                    <p>Very often we hear the terms recycling and reuse used indifferently, when in fact there are big differences between them.<\/p>\n                <\/div>\n                <div class=\"c-blog__item__footer\">\n                    <span class=\"c-blog__item__link\">Show details<\/span>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n                                <\/div>\n                                                            <\/div>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div> \n    <\/div>\n    ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The construction sector is\u00a0one of the sectors that currently causes the greatest environmental impact, due to the poor management of the large amount of waste it generates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recycling"],"acf":{"post_country":{"simple_value_formated":"<ul><li><a class=\"post-link\" href=\"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/paises\/spain\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Spain<\/a><\/li><\/ul>","value_formated":{"postIds":[2676],"postType":"paises"},"value":["2676"],"field":{"ID":0,"key":"field_64ef02d93e348","label":"Pa\u00eds","name":"post_country","aria-label":"","prefix":"acf","type":"relationship","value":null,"menu_order":0,"instructions":"","required":0,"id":"","class":"","conditional_logic":0,"parent":"group_64ef02d9ad6ee","wrapper":{"width":"","class":"","id":""},"post_type":["paises"],"post_status":["publish"],"taxonomy":"","filters":["search","post_type","taxonomy"],"return_format":"id","min":"","max":"","elements":"","_name":"post_country","_valid":1}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1891"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10577,"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1891\/revisions\/10577"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paises\/2676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scrapad.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}