What we’re up against

• Every year, the construction industry:

  • consumes more than 400 million tonnes of materials
  • generates more than 100 million tonnes of waste
  • sends 30 million tonnes of waste straight to landfill
• 300,000 tonnes of plasterboard waste was generated in 2006.

• 275 million tonnes of aggregates are used each year in the UK as raw construction materials. Of this, around 65 million tonnes are already derived from recycled or secondary sources.

• 48% of the UK’s total wood waste comes from construction and demolition, amounting to about 5 million tonnes per year. When wood is put into landfill it emits methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

• There are 11 million tonnes of iron and steel scrap arisings produced per year – around 70% is recovered.

• 11 years ago it cost a £7 per tonne to dump waste in landfill. It’s now at £24 per tonne and set to double by 2015.

Reduce Reuse Recycle June 2007