Builders' Rubble: Opportunities in Processing and Reuse

This briefing by GreenCape outlines the potential for processing and reusing builders' rubble in South Africa, highlighting road construction as a primary opportunity and emphasizing the necessity of regional operations to manage logistics costs.

• Approximately 85% of the mineral component of builders' rubble in South Africa is sent to landfills despite having potential for reuse, with road construction identified as the most significant opportunity based on global experience.
• The low value of builders' rubble compared to the cost of logistics means that successful reuse operations, both in South Africa and internationally, must function at a regional scale.
• Cape Town has seen rapid market growth for builders' rubble, primarily through crushing companies supplying the private construction sector. Future growth is expected to be driven by increasing costs for virgin materials and rising landfill disposal fees.

APA

GreenCape (2016). Builders' Rubble: Opportunities in Processing and Reuse. https://greencape.co.za/library/builders-rubble-opportunities-in-processing-and-reuse-view/

Chicago

GreenCape. Builders' Rubble: Opportunities in Processing and Reuse. 2016. https://greencape.co.za/library/builders-rubble-opportunities-in-processing-and-reuse-view/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Builders' Rubble: Opportunities in Processing and Reuse |date=24 August 2016 |url=https://greencape.co.za/library/builders-rubble-opportunities-in-processing-and-reuse-view/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2016builders, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Builders' Rubble: Opportunities in Processing and Reuse}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://greencape.co.za/library/builders-rubble-opportunities-in-processing-and-reuse-view/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }