Cities and Businesses Aim to Wipe Out Demolition Waste

Cities and businesses are looking to reduce waste from demolition sites and increase the amount of recycled material used in new developments.

1 minute read

November 1, 2013, 8:00 AM PDT

By NicoleFerraro


"Reusing materials will be important for cities as they look to cut waste to meet environmental targets, and because rapid urbanisation will put pressure on the supply of materials such as cement and steel," writes Rich Heap. "I interpret large urban buildings to mean offices, housing developments, shopping centres, and industrial buildings. That's the easy part. The more difficult part is coming up with a single definition for recycling because there are three terms that are relevant to this discussion" -- recycling, upcycling, and downcycling.

"Waste from construction and demolition projects now accounts for 25 to 30 percent of total waste in the EU, and the proportion is similar in the US. This includes concrete, brick, cement, glass, wood, and metal. Much of this can be broken down and turned into new building aggregate."

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 in Future Cities

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

4 hours ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

6 hours ago - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine