In the UK, 50,000 buildings are demolished each year, according to Architect's Journal, and some are demolished within 30 years of being constructed. The vast majority of waste from demolition and construction is crushed and shredded, with virtually no reclamation and reuse. It is typically 'downcycled' into lower-value materials; structural concrete becomes secondary aggregate for road bases and structural steel is turned into reinforcement bar. Even valuable, complex components - such as building services plant and equipment - are typically reprocessed back to their raw materials instead of being remanufactured and reused, losing nearly all their value and requiring treatment of contaminants in the process.
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