Build for Living. Report.
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recycling and reuse of products
It is increasingly recognised that considering the life-cycle of a product is essential when assessing its ecological credentials.
Fired clay (bricks, pavers, terracotta roof tiles, Terraçade® façade panels) can have an extraordinarily long life. This material also has the inestimable advantage of not requiring a finish such as render or paint (which has a recurring high cost and extreme levels of embodied energy) to maintain its appearance, colour and durability.
Similarly, concrete products such as precast panels and structural elements and concrete masonry have a very long life, although they may require finishing for aesthetic purposes.
However the end-of-life treatment of all building products must be considered.
Products suitable for reuse without reprocessing
Roof tiles (both concrete and terracotta), Terraçade® facade panels, passive retaining wall systems and pavers (laid without cement) may be reused without further processing. In each case the units remain intact when removed and may be applied to a new application without further intervention, except possibly light cleaning to remove grime. All their original technical and structural properties remain unaltered. It is also possible to design precast concrete wall panels with exposed mounting bolts to allow their removal without demolition.
Segmental units that have been mortared into a structure, for example, bricks, concrete masonry and mortared pavers, are also suitable for reuse after the mortar has been removed. Again, their original technical and structural properties remain unaltered.
Timber may be suitable for reuse as is but it will generally require processing to remove nails and other fasteners and trimming and planning to rejuvenate the surface.
Product recycling
All the above products may be recycled for other purposes. Bricks and roof tiles for example are commonly crushed for use as road base. Similarly, concrete in all its forms, including reinforced concrete, is frequently crushed and used as road base, for erosion control and in wire gabions (cages).