Recycled materials used in construction

In the era of eco builds there is no better time to talk about materials. We already have an array of materials to use and each has its benefits, but we are seeing more use for recycled products. Technology is advancing and we’re starting to see homes built completely from recycled materials. They’re not for everyone, and some are in the early days of testing, but, it proves that we have the capability to advance into a fully sustainable industry. 

 

The first one I’d like to talk about is newspaperwood. You might wonder what the point of this is. Firstly, it starts off as wood and then gets turned into newspaper/paper/card and then will be reverted back into its original form. What you have to realise is that these are products that are widely used and that are easily recycled; so why not? Once the newspaper and cardboard have been turned back into ‘planks’ they can be sealed and used in the same way as wood, would; sounds simple right? 

 

Recy blocks can be made from plastic bags, which in itself is amazing. Plastic bags are one of the biggest wastages we have, so to be able to do something of use with them is a massive step in the right direction. The colour of these can vary depending on the colour of the bags used but, they can easily be decorated and you never know, they could even be used as a feature wall?

 

Cork is another consumable that we can recycle and use as a feature. Corks are often found in wine bottles, instead of throwing them away, collect them. Once you have enough you can easily transform them into a feature in your home. These are becoming quite popular and are something that you will usually throw away. These can be used for flooring or walls; granted, you might have to drink a fair bit of wine! Or you might be able to find somewhere where you can purchase a ‘job lot’  

 Nothing is waste, not really. There is always someone out there who’s willing to put in the time, effort and thought to create our ‘waste’ into something more useful and more beautiful. 

 

Recycled glass is also a game changer. It can be used for many things such as tiles and countertops. It can give a lovely effect to an otherwise standard fixture and what’s even better is that it is made up totally of recyclables. 

Nappy roofing is another material that can be repurposed. Yes this one doesn’t sound very nice but actually you’re just taking the nappy itself rather than the, er, contents. A special centre will be able to extract the materials that are useable, so don’t worry. The results from this can be used in roofing for example, if you so wish.

 

As you can see, just from the list above, there are many materials that you probably wouldn’t have thought about using in construction that are being repurposed and there are many more out there. If you research you can quite literally construct your building completely out of repurposed, recycled materials. So, if you’re looking at taking that eco build one step further, this proves that there really are no bounds. Some of these things might well seem crazy, but the research and forward thinking of these advances is something else. We really can take the eco train and run with it. Nothing can stop us, we just need a bit more understanding and perhaps more of an open mind and this really can be the future.