Dealing with Difficult Demolition Wastes

This report provides practical guidance for recovery of product and waste types that are difficult to recover or recycle, such as carpet underlay, insulated concrete formwork, industrial batteries, structural insulated panels and smoke alarms. Current waste management routes are examined, together with the potential to improve levels of reuse, recycling and recovery. The key principles relating to 'design for deconstruction' are summarised. Appendices include a wider directory of potentially difficult waste types, together with a short summary of recycling and recovery issues that may need to be considered.

The guidance will be useful to those working in the demolition sector, policy makers and their advisors working in waste and recycling, those in the respective product supply chains who need to improve resource efficiency by designing for deconstruction to facilitate reuse at end of life, and construction clients and contractors who have targets to divert increasing amounts of waste from landfill.