Designing Waste Out of the System
The built environment refers to all the human-made structures and products that make up the places where people live, work and play. This includes houses, commercial buildings, supporting infrastructure such as waste systems and water supply networks, as well as green spaces. Construction, renovation, and demolition are key activities within our built environment. The construction industry is the world’s largest consumer of resources and raw materials, and is estimated to emit almost half of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately 40% of raw materials consumed in North America are construction materials (CCME 2019).
Common building materials include wood, asphalt, drywall, and concrete. Disposing of building materials is expensive, and highly inefficient, especially given that many disposed materials still hold value. Yet, waste prevention, reduction, and diversion from disposal activities and policies are still very much emergent.
A transformation to a circular built environment, where construction and demolition follows principles of restoration and regeneration, is critical. This transformation prevents waste, and ensures that buildings and materials are circulated at their highest value, with each being used and reused repeatedly.