In Ukraine, part of the plan for reconstruction is the question of what to do with the huge level of building waste. While no one truly knows the real losses suffered by infrastructure and housing stock as a result of Russian aggression, it is estimated that there is more than 100 million cubic metres of demolition waste, and that is increasing.
According to various estimates, the purchase of construction materials for postwar reconstruction will cost from $65 billion to more than $100 billion.
There is huge potential in re-using millions of tonnes of construction waste as it could become a major source of building materials.
The questions are – How can it be used to good effect? And how to make this re-use profitable?
This is a major challenge for both business and the state.
We are looking for donors to support research institutions that would develop state programmes for the reuse of old materials. At present the Ministry of the Environment is very slow to issue permits for such recycling. Instead of having thousands of companies that have the right to collect waste, transport it, sort it and then recycle it, we have only 7 or 8. Secondly, we have no state standards that would regulate what to do with this wreckage. A further problem is that much of the valuable waste is stolen. Metal is taken, as is glass and even large and medium-sized concrete is taken from landfills. It’s the same with electrical cables: copper and aluminium are taken away nd sold, while the remaining insulation is turned into piles of useless rubbish.
manufacturers of building materials
There was a considerable amount of asbestos used in buildings, particularly those dating from the Soviet era. That is why we are looking for international donors to support state research institutions that would develop programmes for recycling and the reuse of old materials in new products. We have some previous experience of this. For example, up to 30% of broken bricks are used in side (non-load bearing) panels. In Austria, there is a programme under which up to 90% of concrete is recycled and used in the manufacture of new materials.
In the EU, all recycling processes are scientifically based, everything is tested and certified. Whereas in Ukraine, there is no Brussels-recognised laboratory that can confirm that a particular construction product contains recycled products at all. This is what we need. Without this, no one will give us money for reconstruction. We understand that more than 30 types of building materials can be produced, either with a very significant content of recycled materials or made entirely of them. Glass, for example, can be fully recycled. Lime can also be recycled into plasterboard. Basalt wool can be used for new sheets (in a certain proportion). Old concrete can be used as a filler for new products. But what about the safety of mixed “new-old” building materials? This problem is particularly acute for concrete recycling. You need to take tests for toxicity and radiation. If the building was destroyed by a rocket, there may also be radioactive particles. When a conventional bombshell hits, there is a better chance that the wreckage will be recycled.
Therefore, scientific and practical developments in this area are needed, and unfortunately, the state does not have money for them. International partners from the UN agencies have announced their intention to sponsor five projects for processing Ukrainian construction materials. However, these materials could be 20-30% more expensive as there is a lot of logistics and manual labour involved in sorting.
Without a system of proper certification there is a high risk that counterfeit, low quality products will be used in the reconstruction of our building stock.
We believe that Ukrainians deserve building materials of European, world-class quality.
Your Building Materials Colleague
Kostiantyn Salii
Kostiantyn Salii is a former Diplomat and was elected the President of the All-Ukrainian Union of manufacturers of building materials Union in 2020; He lectures at the Kiev University of Construction and Architecture. He has worked in the State Institute of Building Materials, and is now an expert in the State Institute of Building Construction; Since 2024 he consults with the Ministry of Defence in the sphere of quality control of fortification constructions. He is part of the Working Group of the Ministry of Economy on the Development of the circular economy of Ukraine.
