When large buildings are demolished in the future, many building materials should be used for other projects. This was decided in the Danish Parliament on Thursday.

There should be more recycling in the construction industry, a majority at Christiansborg (the Danish Parliament) has decided. Because everything from wood to concrete and bricks often ends up in incinerators, even though it could be recycled.

But that is now going to change, says Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke (Social Democrats).

“We cannot continue to extract sand and gravel. We need to recycle more. It’s so foolish that we don’t recycle the materials.”

– Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke

Today, 40 percent of Denmark’s total waste comes from the construction industry. This corresponds to about five million tons of waste a year, according to the Ministry of the Environment. And many building materials can be reused, the minister believes.

“Today, most of it goes to incineration. It should be sorted on-site so it can be recycled. There should be a plan for which materials can be reused.”

– Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke

It is in the demolition of buildings over 250 square meters that the construction industry is required to make a plan for recycling the materials.

The industry supports it There is a great opportunity to make better use of building materials than is currently done.

This is the belief of DI Construction, the largest industry community under the Confederation of Danish Industry, which represents about 6,700 companies in construction, civil engineering, and the building industry.

Because there is a great potential for recycling building materials, believes Anders Stouge, director of DI Construction.

So, the consideration for the environment is greater than for the individual company?

“We have to look at the environment we are responsible for, namely the Danish environment. There are natural resources that we can use, but not nearly on the scale that has been done until now. We need to recycle much more. So it will be good for all of us, that when we build new, it should be with recycled materials“.

– Anders Stouge, director of DI Construction.

With the new requirements for the construction industry, the minister hopes that new construction in the future will be completely different from what we know today.

“This will only be a success when we truly recycle building materials. When we build new, it should be with recycled bricks, woodwork, and tiles.“

– Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke

The new law, which is to ensure more recycling and reuse in the construction industry, comes into force on July 1, 2024.

The Ministry of the Environment expects that the new regulations and existing technology will on average ensure that:

  • 14 percent of high-quality concrete can be recycled (close to 0 percent today), and that 12 percent can be reused (close to 0 percent today)
  • About 60 percent of untreated wood can be recycled (40 percent today), and that 9 percent can be reused (close to 0 percent today)
  • Approximately 27 percent of bricks, tiles, and masonry can be reused (close to 0 percent today)

Source: Miljøministeriet

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