Recycling is by far the greatest method to sustain our environment and to continue the growth in construction. Recycling in construction may include either replacing materials to the same construction site but this time reused for other functions, or using the wastes to construct a new building. Some of these may also happen naturally. It is important that you as a builder or constructor are considered in the contract before preparing to sort and pick out the materials for recycling. Basing on most construction sites in Uganda, here are a few recyclable materials with some examples of what they can be after:

1. Aluminum – is the kind of material that can be recycled indefinitely. Recycled aluminum products from construction include bicycles, cookware, wires, pipes, boats, decoration objects, and many others that need a strong lightweight material.
2. Steel – can be used to make new similar steel products. When processing, tin is first removed from the steel materials through reverse electroplating, before melting it down to liquid metallic iron. The products from it include drinking cans, food tins, bottle tops, paint cans, and scrap metal.
3. Plastics – lately, construction companies are using plastic materials. The components used include plastic screws and hinges, plastic decorations, sockets, electric wiring, flooring, wall covering, water proofing and so on. These same items when recycled can be used to make containers, plastic wood, plastic bags, milk cartons and many others.
4. Timber – this is already a common practice on many construction sites. A good example is the use of timber off cuts on site to make particle boards and cordwood walls. Other recycled products from timber wastes in construction include papers for pulping, biomass fuel, furniture and many more.
5. Glass – usually glass waste is produced through demolition projects. Resulting products from the wastes include decorative materials, insulation covers, flower containers, and among others, manufacture of ceramics.
6. Other construction materials that can equally be recycled to continue construction or making of other products are bricks, tiles, pavers and concrete.

The construction industry is among the businesses that rely on natural resources to manufacture their materials. It is therefore wise to make efficient use of the wastes in construction in order to reduce over dependence on the natural resources.

In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create, but by what we refuse to destroy. ~John C. Sawhill