Apr 4 2007
Reclamation specialists BioRegional Reclaimed have launched a new web site to help demolition contractors reclaim materials and fittings and aid developers and DIY enthusiasts to use more reclaimed building materials - reducing environmental impacts at no extra cost. BioRegional Reclaimed is part of the BioRegional Development Group who are sustainability specialists. The team are funded to work with the industry through Defra's Business Reuse Fund.
Jonathan Essex, Reclaimed Materials Manager, said: "High-value, low volume architectural salvage is already common practice, we have launched this website to increase reclamation of lower-value, high-volume materials and fittings such as bricks and steel. We have been successfully working with businesses to instill reclamation into their practice so they can save the embodied carbon in materials rather than simply sending them to landfill or using new materials. For example we help demolition contractors to conduct a reclamation survey at the start of a job to identify materials and fittings that can be reclaimed, achieving more by identifying opportunities reclaim and reuse materials in advance. We also help developers to specify and use the reclaimed materials that are available. In many cases this is at no additional cost."
It is very important to reduce the environmental impact of construction materials because they account for 20% of the UK's environmental impact, and 19% of our carbon emissions. Reclamation keeps materials in a closed loop cycle, re-using them rather than downgrading them through recycling or sending them to landfill. Reclamation can reduce the embodied CO2 of materials by up to 97% (i.e. bricks).
BioRegional Reclaimed has been helping developers, demolition contractors, architects and individuals to release and use reclaimed materials for 7 years. In the past year alone, the team has worked with over 30 contractors, researchers, developers and councils to reclaim 1,300 tonnes of materials saving over 300 tonnes of CO2.
With the carbon footprint of buildings currently high on the political agenda, this new web site and the other services that BioRegional Reclaimed provide are increasingly important to the industry. BioRegional Reclaimed are particularly keen to work on large scale projects with developers and demolition contractors and have funding to carry out this work in most cases. Where funding is not available the team offers a consultancy service.