Building materials made from organic waste could help boost bio-economy

Currently managed through landfill, incineration and composting, certain forms of organic waste could be diverted to help the global construction industry reduce its use of raw materials. In the UK alone, WRAP estimates that the construction industry accounts for 60 per cent of all raw materials consumed.

Capturing organic waste streams from cities and the countryside could provide the industry with lower-cost, lower-CO2 building materials including bricks, insulation and partition boards. The report envisages a completely circular system with nutrients returned to the soil when building waste is fed back into the biological cycle.

According to Eurostat Data, over 40 million tonnes of dried organic waste from agriculture and forestry was produced in Europe in 2014, and the amount is growing year on year. A kilogram of waste incinerated for energy recovery has a value of approximately €0.85 but the same material used for interior cladding could sell for up to €6 per kilogram.