Briefing: Reuse and recycling rates of UK steel demolition arisings
Abstract
The reuse and recycling of steel has an important part to play in developing a circular economy. Regulators are increasingly looking to improve resource efficiency and, in particular, reduce the large quantities of construction and demolition waste generated each year. For example, the construction products regulation requires consideration of the ‘reuse or recyclability of the construction works, their materials and parts after demolition’ as part of the requirement for the sustainable use of natural resources. This paper describes a survey of UK demolition contractors undertaken to estimate the reuse and recycling rates of steel construction products arising from the demolition of buildings in the UK. The results are presented and compared with an earlier survey conducted in 2000. The results suggest that steel has increased its combined reuse and recycling rate to 96% (up from 93%) with, on average, 91% recycled and 5% reused. This demonstrates that steel continues to be a major contributor to sustainability and resource efficiency in the built environment, by minimising waste and ensuring that steel building materials can ultimately be reused and recycled again and again, without loss of properties.
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Because the function is often the same pre- and postrecycling, the reprocessing step is not always necessary.
“Because the function is often the same pre-and postrecycling, the reprocessing step is not always necessary (Sansom and Avery 2014).”
From Reusing Heavy-Section Steel in Buildings: Carbon Reduction Potential and Material Availability (2025) · cites this paper as Sansom and Avery 2014
When metal products are recycled, the outcome is a functionally equivalent product.
“When metal products are recycled, the outcome is a functionally equivalent product.”
From Reusing Heavy-Section Steel in Buildings: Carbon Reduction Potential and Material Availability (2025) · cites this paper as Sansom and Avery 2014
The reuse of building components is not yet a mainstream practice.
“However, the reuse of building components is not yet a mainstream practise.”
From Components reuse in the building sector – A systematic review (2020) · cites this paper as Sansom and Avery, 2014
Only a fraction of components at the end-of-life of a building are reused; for example, the reuse rate for reclaimed steel sections in the UK in 2012 was 5%.
“and only a fraction of components at the end-of-life of a building are reused (e.g. the 5% reuse rate for the reclaimed steel sections in the UK in 2012 (Sansom and Avery, 2014)).”
From Components reuse in the building sector – A systematic review (2020) · cites this paper as Sansom and Avery, 2014
Reuse rates in the building sector have declined in the last two decades in countries like the UK.
“Notwithstanding, the reuse rates in the building sector have declined in the last two decades in countries like the UK (Addis, 2006; Sansom and Avery, 2014)”
From Components reuse in the building sector – A systematic review (2020) · cites this paper as Sansom and Avery, 2014
The tight project schedule negatively affects the efficient disassembly of existing buildings and lowers the chance for recovery of reusable building components.
“The tight project schedule negatively affects the efficient disassembly of the existing buildings and lowers the chance for the recovery of reusable building components (Sansom and Avery, 2014).”
From Components reuse in the building sector – A systematic review (2020) · cites this paper as Sansom and Avery, 2014
In the UK, 8%-11% of steel from demolition is reused, with a downward trend.
“In the UK, 8%-11% of steel from demolition is reused, with a downward trend [89,90].”
From Material efficiency strategies to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings, vehicles, and electronics—a review (2019) · cites this paper as [90]
Cites
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(1984) · Analytical Proceedings · doi:10.1039/ap9842100196 · Cited by 4,045 · see citing works
ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
Nollet, L. M. L. (2019) · CRC Press eBooks · doi:10.1201/9781315178592-10 · Cited by 1,902 · see citing works
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Hertwich, E. G., Ali, S., Ciacci, L., Fishman, T., Heeren, N., Masanet, E., Asghari, F. N., Olivetti, E., Pauliuk, S., Tu, Q., et al. (2019) · Environmental Research Letters · doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab0fe3 · Cited by 477 · see citing works
Components reuse in the building sector – A systematic review
Rakhshan, K., Morel, J.-C., Alaka, H., & Charef, R. (2020) · Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · doi:10.1177/0734242x20910463 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
“Notwithstanding, the reuse rates in the building sector have declined in the last two decades in countries like the UK (Addis, 2006; Sansom and Avery, 2014), and only a fraction of components at the end-of-life of a building are reused (e.g. the 5% reuse rate for the reclaimed steel sections in the…”
BackgroundInfluentialDunant, C. F., Drewniok, M. P., Sansom, M., Corbey, S., Cullen, J. M., & Allwood, J. M. (2018) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.141 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Self-citationReal and perceived barriers to steel reuse across the UK construction value chain
Dunant, C. F., Drewniok, M. P., Sansom, M., Corbey, S., Allwood, J. M., & Cullen, J. M. (2017) · Resources, Conservation and Recycling · doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.07.036 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Self-citationReusing Heavy-Section Steel in Buildings: Carbon Reduction Potential and Material Availability
Berglund-Brown, J., & Ochsendorf, J. (2025) · Journal of Architectural Engineering · doi:10.1061/jaeied.aeeng-1918 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
- Authors
- Sansom, M., & Avery, N.
- Affiliations
- Steel Construction Institute (GB)
- Tata Steel (United Kingdom) (GB)
- Venue
- Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering Sustainability
- Publisher
- Emerald
- Published
- 2014-06
- Volume
- 167
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 89-94
- ISSN
- 1478-4629 (ISSN-L)
- 1751-7680
- OpenAlex
- W2005174752
- Cited by
- 60
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 1.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering Sustainability (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Recycled Aggregate Concrete Performance
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Sustainable Building Design and Assessment
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Waste Management and Disposal › Recycling and Waste Management Techniques
- Keywords
- steel reuse, steel recycling, construction and demolition waste, circular economy, resource efficiency, demolition contractors, Construction Products Regulation, sustainable resource use
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