The construction and building sectors contribute to a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. And, for Australia to meet its net-zero carbon emission targets, it needs major reform in the construction sector. Construction companies using recycled building materials in various projects is one step in this direction.
And here are some ways this use of recycled materials delivers benefits.
Minimize environmental impact
No initial and high-energy input is needed that goes into raw material extraction. This, in turn, minimizes the quantity of carbon dioxide discharged during the process of extraction. Recycled materials need less processing as compared to new materials that minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
Cost effective
Most of the recycled building materials like steel and timber are less expensive compared to the new ones.
Easy permitting
There are sustainability targets for local councils. This means they will be more favourable towards projects that use more recycled products. Thus, acquiring planning permissions gets easier. Moreover, residents are less aggressive to the new environment-friendly projects in their neighbourhood.
Great building performance
Selecting recycled materials does not mean you should sacrifice integrity or quality. Severe quality controls for recycled products in place make sure that certain products may perform better than new ones. For instance, Timbercrete is less expensive, robust, and lighter compared to conventional concrete.
Tax incentives
That’s another plus as most councils give tax incentives for using recycled products. Some lenders give green building loans for projects built with higher %ages of recycled materials.
But older, recycled materials may contain asbestos. This makes investing in testing and asbestos removal in Newcastle necessary.