Demolition waste: Breaking down the walls of unsustainability

The construction and demolition sector generates a jaw-dropping 66.2 million tonnes of non-hazardous debris in the UK annually.

This staggering figure makes up almost two thirds of total waste output in the UK – and it’s not all being managed as sustainably as it could be.

As the nation powers towards a net zero approach to waste management, more sustainable practices in the demolition industry are moving in to replace tired habits.

And alongside new sister company SunDemolition, SunSkips is here to lead the way to a brighter future for demolition waste.

Why demolition waste needs special attention

The repercussions of mismanaged demolition waste ripple across the environmental spectrum.

Landfills – the worst-case-scenario endpoint for this waste type – strain land resources and emit noxious gases as materials decompose. Toxic substances leach into soils and water bodies, posing grave health hazards to nearby communities. But the toll on our planet extends beyond landfills.

Transporting debris to landfills consumes copious amounts of fuel, escalating greenhouse gas emissions.

Poor demolition recycling also leads to the unnecessary extraction of virgin resources, which are finite and require more energy than recycling. Raw materials generate more airborne emissions, toxic liquids, and solid wastes from the mining and industrial processing involved.

Sustainable construction and demolition waste management reduces the environmental impact of the industry. Fortunately, there’s a simple framework in place to help businesses stay on top of it.

MORE: Construction waste disposal: How to save money and avoid penalties

What can be done to minimise the impact of demolition waste?

The best route to a more sustainable demolition waste management industry is to follow the waste hierarchy.

The UK waste hierarchy is a framework that prioritises waste management in the most environmentally preferable way. It consists of five key steps:

Prevention involves actions that stop or minimise waste generation in the first place. Careful planning, design, and construction methods can reduce the overall amount of waste created during the demolition process.

Preparation for reuse means assessing materials and components from the demolition site that can be directly salvaged, refurbished, or reused in other projects without processing. This might be large, obvious pieces like doors and windows, or even soil if it’s kept separate to avoid contamination. Other salvageable materials include bricks, metals, wood, and fixtures.

Recycling refers to the process of converting waste materials into new products or materials. Concrete, a primary culprit in the waste chain, can be crushed to live on as aggregate for new constructions. This significantly mitigates the demand for fresh resources. Implementing sorting and recycling systems on-site allows for more efficient recovery and reuse of these materials. You might have separate skips for concrete (which can be used as aggregate), metals (which can be smelted to make other products), and wood (which can be directly repurposed or recycled, depending on its age).

MORE: These 10 types of wood are now banned from skips

If materials cannot be reused or recycled, the next best option is recovery through processes like energy generation from waste. Demolition waste, like wood and plastic, are good candidates to produce heat or electricity.

Disposal is the last resort and involves sending waste to landfill or incineration without energy recovery. The goal of the waste hierarchy is to minimise the amount of waste sent for disposal and instead prioritise more environmentally friendly options.

SunSkips invests in sustainable demolition waste management

Having entered the demolition industry in early 2024, SunEnviro is now able to direct demolition waste through its sustainable waste management facilities.

The company’s upcoming site in Thetford will be dedicated to cleaning aggregate and soil, which is often collected from demolition and excavation projects.

Building a dedicated aggregate washing site is expected to prevent 100,000 tonnes of construction waste to landfill.

Designing sites, operations and services to keep up with changes in environmental legislation is key to staying ahead of the latest innovations.

C&D waste regulations and public awareness

Because of the huge role that demolition plays in the nation’s waste generation, the Environment Agency is especially concerned about minimising its impact.

Some of the most common waste types that require special attention include asbestos, plasterboard, and some everyday waste types that might surprise you.

For example, the EA imposed new regulations of two common demolition waste types last year: soft seating (common in soft strip demolitions like preparing a building for renovation), and wood from houses built before 2007.

Soft seating like sofas, armchairs, and futons was deemed highly likely to contain POPs (persistent organic pollutants) waste. These chemicals are banned from landfills, meaning companies like SunSkips need to handle this waste type separately from other demolition waste.

Meanwhile, wood stripped from buildings needs to be properly assessed before it can be managed. If it can be proven through testing that it isn’t hazardous, it’s possible to recycle the wood, otherwise it needs to be incinerated as though it were hazardous.

Other benefits of efficient demolition waste management

Keeping a steady flow of demolition waste away from sites keeps projects organised and on track.

Whether the project requires large 20- or 40-yard ro-ro containers to keep waste tidy on site, or regular collections for smaller skips, it’s important to choose a company that can adapt to your needs.

Hiring waste experts that can do a thorough audit of your project to suggest more efficient waste management is not only good for the environment, it can also save you a lot of money.

For example, SunSkips may be able to offer rebates on its waste management rates for properly sorted recyclable waste.

There’s no time to waste for the UK to get to grips with better demolition waste management.

When all the stakeholders involved in a demolition (contractors, developers, waste management companies, and local authorities) work together, it benefits all parties both in terms of their environmental impact and cost savings.

With its new demolition arm, SunEnviro is keen to raise the bar for what sustainable demolition waste management should be.