Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) is by volume the largest waste stream in the European Union. Although a vast majority of CDW is recyclable and reusable, one of the common barriers to recycling and reuse of CDW is the lack of confidence in the quality of recovered materials and components.

This book intends to clarify the concept of Sustainable Buildings and Construction (SBC) in Africa. It is based on primarily African research and building projects implemented in different parts of the region. The publication is meant to be read by real estate developers, building industry professionals, researchers, planners and policy makers, and users of buildings.

In 2010 the worldwide building sector was responsible for 24% of the total GHG emissions deriving from fossil fuel combustion, second only to the industrial sector; but, if the embodied energy of construction materials is included, the share is far higher and the building sector becomes the prime CHG emitter. Thus,building design and construction have a significant effect on the chances of meeting the 2 °C target (keeping global temperature increase to 2 °C ). 

This document has been prepared by Cairns Regional Council to assist in meeting the requirements of the Sustainable Building Design Policy when designing, constructing and renovating Council buildings. These guidelines are also intended as a general reference guide for sustainable design and construction of commercial buildings in the tropics.

With approximately 70% of the UK’s non-residential building stock constructed before the year 2000, if energy and carbon targets are to be achieved, and the UK’s 2050 net zero targets realised, significant energy efficiency and embodied carbon reductions are needed. As a result, much of the sector will have to undergo some form of retrofit by 2050.

Since 2002, the United States Federal Government has outlined its intent to advance sustainable building principles and practices throughout its portfolio established through a number of statutory and executive policies that every Federal agency has integrated and utilized. 

Glass is a highly recyclable material, despite which, end-of-life building glass is almost never recycled into new glass products.

In the UK alone, almost 200,000 tonnes of glass is currently sent to landfill each year. In the EU, the proper recycling of all building glass waste could avoid 925,000 tonnes of landfilled waste every year and save around 1.23 million tonnes of primary raw materials annually.

Almost half of a building’s emissions are hidden, embodied in the processes of extraction, manufacturing, transportation, construction, maintenance, retrofitting, demolition and end-of-life treatment. Reducing the impacts of construction and the emissions associated with it will require a significant shift in business-as-usual construction practices.

Demolishing unwanted buildings wastes vast quantities of valuable resources, driving up financial and environmental costs. Deconstruction offers a means of salvaging materials for reuse. It also creates more jobs than demolition, spurs local innovation and industry, preserves local character and heritage, reduces landfill costs and limits the need for virgin (and often carbon-intensive) materials.

This guide is part of the Training Pack for waste prevention on construction projects. It provides specific, best practice advice to help with the prevention and reduction of waste as well as recycling of materials on construction sites. In the construction industry site waste may be managed by a third party or parties may be responsible for managing their own waste; this guide is aimed at both groups.