Reclaiming, Recycling and Repurposing
We Are Often Asked About Reclaiming, Recycling and Repurposing Goods and Materials
We share concerns over wasted materials and manufactured items having a short product lifespan. Materials that can be effectively reclaimed, recycled or reused get a new lease of life and should last as long as the new building is around.
How long should buildings last?
In Melbourne, we generally design to meet a 60/75-year lifespan although with care and maintenance buildings can last much longer. So, by recycling we can increase a materials effective lifespan to easily exceed 100 years.
We are all familiar with the principle of recycling household items such as glass, plastic and cardboard where it is collected regularly and taken to a waste centre and returned as part of a new product.
Demolition works present other more exciting opportunities.
Timbers can also be reclaimed, recycled and repurposed. Roof members and floor joists can be reused as they were originally intended or repurposed as furniture, kitchen worktops or as part of decks etc. Its eco-friendly and you can do whatever your imagination dictates.
Concrete can be crushed on site and used as crushed stone beds of hardcore under new concrete slabs. This alleviates the need for expensive and polluting transportation.
Many types of metals are great candidates for recycling and this can be from services, pipes or as conductors from electrical wires.
With imagination a reused feature can become a talking point of your new property.
Give Mark a call to talk about recycling.
