By Dr Doug Potter

When you drive by a construction site for a building or home that’s being renovated, it is very common to see a dumpster/skip parked outside loaded down with bricks, lumber and various other waste products.


A 200m2 house generates 3 600kg of waste materials and the same size house demolished generates 42t of waste. One third of all landfills worldwide are construction waste.

There are even construction waste removal companies that haul away construction waste like Rommel Trommel or Waste Buddies. When I used to see these trucks and containers full, I quickly thought of all the jobsites and how much that compounds to every year.

With the newer push to rid our planet of all the excess trash there are many exciting opportunities going on in the world to turn that trash into cash. Locally there is a company called Africa Biomass that specialises in waste wood recycling. www.abc.co.za. They turn the unwanted cuts of wood into biofuel and chip mulch.

Many companies re-mill the older wood planks from Barns and the wood that has been re-planed can fetch a pretty price tag. Two of the most wanted woods are fir and cedar. Lintel and large support beams are also in high demand.

Here are just a few of the ways international companies are turning their burden of removing construction waste and turning an extra profit instead:
Broken bricks and left-over cement can be sold for backfill and wall support. The rock can also be crushed further for road repair.
Cut wooden boards can be sold for particle board or chipboard.

Myers recycling centre in the United States has opened one of the first construction waste recycling centres to divert construction waste from the landfill and processes 100t daily. Approximately 85% of the material that is dropped off is reused.

In the future we will have to invent new ways to reuse our materials because what is left in the landfill may start off as safe, but this quickly changes. Lead from batteries leaks into the water supply making drinking water toxic. Sheetrock or ceiling material when broken down releases hydrogen sulphide – a poisonous gas. We will have to practise what we preach at home and at work. We can’t say ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ at work and then we go home throw everything in the same waste bin. Worldwide companies that prove they are environmentally friendly are given governmental contracts over other companies with a worse track record.

So, the next time you look at a full dumpster will you see trash or cash?

For more information on the cable project, email Dr Doug Potter at restdoctor@gmail.com