2007 bigrec survey - wrap survey report.pdftable 1 - illustrates the change in the amount and type...

A survey of the UKreclamation and salvage trade

BigREc Survey2007

BigREc2 2007

The trade in antique and reclaimed materials, of which evidence exists in Britain from Roman times onwards, almost ceased after the publication of the 1948 Parker Morris report1. This report resulted in wholesale demolitions of large parts of towns and rural buildings and their replacement by modern buildings made from new materials such as concrete and steel. Throughout this period, metals in particular continued to be recycled by demolition contractors, as did, for instance, railway sleepers and large amounts of timber for low grade reuse, such as temporary works in civil engineering and by specific users like farmers.

In the 1970s, a small number of pioneering ‘reclamation’ businesses were established to rescue and sell reusable materials from demolition sites. Gradually a market was established in elements of demolished buildings, which resulted in more businesses being established and more materials being saved for reuse.

The BigREc survey was commissioned as part of the Construction Resources and Waste Platform (CRWP) work programme for 2006/072. CRWP is funded by Defra (until April 2008 this was through the Business Resource Efficiency and Waste (BREW) programme). The survey was undertaken by Salvo Llp from October 2006 to January 2007, with the final report being finished in November 2007.

The objectives of the BigREc survey were as follows:

> To provide data on the amount and type of building materials being reclaimed

> To provide a comparison in terms of overall levels of reclamation in 2006, compared to the previous survey of 1998

> To draw conclusions as to the current status of the industry and to identify possible interventions that might increase the levels of reclamation in the UK.

BigREc aimed to present a snapshot of the UK architectural salvage trade and followed the format of

an identical survey of the trade carried out in 1998, also by Salvo. The survey looked at reclaimed building materials from the very old antique and expensive, to the broad range of stock found in a typical UK salvage yard, through to the more modern and practically free salvage.

Introduction

1 - The Parker Morris report was a White Paper produced in 1948 on the condition of housing in Britain. It recommended minimum standards in housing, which resulted in the demolition or ‘slum clearance’ of Victorian and earlier housing during the 1950s and 1960s.

2 - Further information can be found at www.crwplatform.co.uk

2007 BigREc Survey

BigREc2 2007 2007 BigREc SurveyPa

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2007 BigREc Survey 2007 BigREc Survey

BigREc2 in 2006 followed an identical format to BigREc1 in 1998. This approach was adopted in order to maintain consistency, and allow comparison between 1998 and 2006.

The survey was carried out in two parts:

1. A yellow postcard asking three simple questions In October 2006, 2043 yellow postcards were sent by post to UK salvage businesses on the Salvo database, of which 1916 had valid addresses and 181 were completed and returned. This compares to 1998 when 1,200 yellow postcards were sent out and 288 were completed, which represents a drop in respondents from 1 in 4 in 1998, to 1 in 10 in 2007. Each respondent was asked to confirm their business activity and their turnover within a band. Each respondent was also asked if they would be prepared to complete the main BigREc survey questionnaire.

2. The main survey which was a 28 page A4 booklet covering 19 categories. Between November 2006 and January 2007, detailed BigREc Questionnaires were sent to 323 salvage businesses, of which 36 were completed. This compares to 88 respondents in 1998. Each respondent was asked 235 questions on 19 stock categories, from salvaged iron and steel to ornamental terracotta. Each category contained questions about types, quantities and values of stock, suppliers and distances of suppliers, sales, buyer types and distances that goods travelled, processing, jobs and scrap disposal. There were also some general questions about business confidence, outlook, methods of communication and types of stock held.

Architectural antiques bulky/bigger items, possibly structural use, older than 50 years.

Building trade builder or landscaper, includes small and large contractors, shopfitters, and restorers.

Dealers recognised reclaimed trade stockists or others whose main occupation is resale to the trade.

Developers mainly those who design and build, but includes architects, interior designers, landscape designers and other professional specifiers.

Employment full and part time employees, sub-contract labour, in-house restorers, outworking restorers.

Import coming from outside the UK.

Local 10 miles or less.

Private mainly those self-managing projects and DIY-ers.

National from within the UK.

Ornamental architectural or garden antiques fine antiques, fixtures and fittings, normally small or elaborate, older than 50 years.

Reclaimed material as opposed to items or features, usually older than 50 years although not always, e.g. reclaimed floorboards.

Regional between 10 miles and 100 miles.

Salvaged low value-to-mass material that is modern, cheap, scrap or damaged.

Methodology used Definitions

BigREc2 2007 2007 BigREc Survey

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Overview

Table 1 provides an overview of the survey results, comparing results from the 2007 survey with those of 1998. The figures from the detailed questionnaire were extrapolated by using information on numbers of businesses indicated by the yellow postcard survey. Figures also represent the UK, unless otherwise specified. It should be recognised that both datasets have been extrapolated from survey results, of which the 2007 survey had a lower return rate.

This means that the level of representation for the various sectors is likely to be different for the two surveys.

Results

Sector £0001998

£0002007

tonnes1998

tonnes2007

employment1998

employment2007

SALVAGED IRON AND STEEL 13,512 2,026 76,000 22,000 2,820 730

SALVAGED WOOD 44,217 4,645 377,000 49,000 7,789 7,126

RECLAIMED BEAMS 51,082 10,192 132,000 286,000 3,640 5,310

RECLAIMED BRICKS 37,239 117,029 420,000 847,800 4,010 1,810

RECLAIMED ROOFING 76,824 9,349 290,000 100,670 3,560 790

RECLAIMED STONE 35,221 21,625 1,100,000 573,700 2,450 1,201

RECLAIMED FLOORING 35,194 7,205 103,700 19,900 2,950 1,620

RECLAIMED PAVING 22,634 12,924 357,700 178,650 1,340 1,043

ARCHITECTURAL STONE 20,978 21,595 43,000 13,000 2,088 729

ARCHITECTURAL WOOD 5,428 26,126 7,000 26,150 1,102 2,212

ARCHITECTURAL IRON 5,508 15,497 4,700 17,400 799 424

ARCHITECTURAL TERRACOTTA 1,168 803 2,000 320 759 95

ORNAMENTAL STONE 19,588 42,954 11,000 38,400 1,173 597

ORNAMENTAL WOOD 43,675 19,348 20,000 32,400 1,738 429

ORNAMENTAL IRON 11,125 18,909 10,000 14,800 970 542

ORNAMENTAL TERRACOTTA 1,008 16,714 1,000 6,400 80 437

OLD BATHROOMS 49,236 15,401 12,000 6,500 1,900 725

Total 473,637 362,342 2,967,100 2,233,090 39,168 25,820

Table 1 - Illustrates the change in the amount and type of material being reclaimed between the two surveys. This indicates a downward trend in reclamation for most of the key material groups,

with the exception of ceramics (mainly bricks).

Fig 1 - Breakdown by main material group

Kilo

met

ers

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0 1998

Breakdown of reclaimed materials group

2007

Mixedmaterialgroup

Ceramic(inc. bricks)

Iron andsteel

Stone

Timber

Salvaged iron and steel Products include rolled steel joint (RSJ), structural steel, water tanks, steel buildings, stainless steel sinks and kitchens, modern pressed steel baths, fire escapes

Analysis There has been a general drop in sales and activity in this sector compared to 1998. The use of secondhand steelwork may be considered too risky, and the availability of salvaged iron and steel in cities is decreasing due to city salvage yards closing. The increase in scrap prices may have also resulted in a diversion from reusable to scrap, though this is not borne out by the stock situation, where stock levels seem to have increased, presumably as a result of the drop in sales.

Note: ‘Distance travelled’ relates to source of material to stock. ‘Goods travel’ relates to transport from stock to user.

Sector findings


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Stock type% 1998 2007 Distance travelled 1998 2007 Where bought 1998 2007

%roof 24 15 %local 48 55 %private 19 41

%complete buildings 6 0 %regional 43 45 %builders 15 16

%RSJ 54 51 %national 8 0 %own demo 20 11

%stairs 16 33 %imports 1 0 %demo 46 31

Sales to stock ratio 6 3

Sales £ per tonne 587 67

Customers Goods travel Processing

%private 64 57 %local 46 45 %as found 77 60

%builders - - %regional 46 52 %cleaned 11 33

%developers 9 27 %national 4 2 %trimmed 12 6

%trade 27 15 %exports 4 0

Table 2 - Combined results relating to salvaged iron and steel

Salvaged timber Products include softwood studding, modern staircases, modern mouldings, thinnings, scrap timber, cheap wood and panel furniture

Analysis According to the results of the survey, far less salvaged timber is now stocked. The total stocked has dropped from 377,000 tonnes per year in 1998 to 24,700 tonnes per year in 2006. There has also been a shift away from commercial enterprise towards social enterprise.

In 1998 every business dealing in salvaged wood was commercial. In 2006 new recycled wood projects had been set up with grants as not-for- profit social enterprises, which could point to the future of the salvaged wood sector as a permanently subsidised activity.

The market for salvaged wood is thought to have been impacted by MDF manufacture using recycled wood. The market in salvaged wood is now confused.

There used to be a clear demarcation between salvaged timber and reclaimed timber (see later section), which meant that newer ‘salvaged wood’

had a lower value than the older ‘reclaimed wood’. This appears to no longer be the case, suggesting that future surveys should combine salvaged wood with reclaimed beams and reclaimed flooring, particularly in terms of employment.


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%pine 74 68 %local 38 64 %private 18 31

%temperate 22 26 %regional 53 34 %builders 19 21

%tropical 4 6 %national 9 1 %own demo 23 22

%imports %demo 40 25

Sales to stock ratio 2.7 2.5




%builders 25 35 %regional 46 40 %cleaned 38 27


%trade %exports

Table 3 - Combined results relating to salvaged timber


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Reclaimed beams Products include beams, joists, trusses, rough sawn planks, railway sleepers, baulks, good pine or oak ceiling joists.

Analysis The salvaging and sale for reuse of 286,000 tonnes of reclaimed beams is significant. However, it is proving increasingly difficult to demarcate the timber related reclamation market, as indicated in the salvaged timber section. This has been further confused by the newly emerging not-for-profit social enterprise wood ‘recycler’ which receives grant aid. Increasing the capacity for reclamation is always welcome, though it should always be through diverting materials from recycling, recovery or landfill sites, rather than from commercial reclamation sites.


%pine 51 58 %local 32 33 %private 22 21

%temperate 38 35 %regional 48 41 %builders 7 15

%tropical 11 6 %national 10 24 %own demo 45 49

%imports 10 2 %demo 26 13

Sales to stock ratio 3.5 6




%builders 32 23 %regional 49 50 %cleaned 32 33


%trade 5 17 %exports 0 1 %stress graded 0 5

Table 4 - Combined results relating to reclaimed beams


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Reclaimed bricks Products include handmade bricks, wire cut bricks, machine made bricks, pressed bricks and Flettons.

Analysis The salvaging and sale for reuse of 286,000 tonnes of reclaimed beams is significant. However, it is proving increasingly difficult to demarcate the timber related reclamation market, as indicated in the salvaged timber section. This has been further confused by the newly emerging not-for-profit social enterprise wood ‘recycler’ which receives grant aid. Increasing the capacity for reclamation is always welcome, though it should always be through diverting materials from recycling, recovery or landfill sites, rather than from commercial reclamation sites.

Table 5 - Combined results relating to reclaimed bricks


%roof 24 15 %local 48 55 %private 19 41

%complete buildings 6 0 %regional 43 45 %builders 15 16

%RSJ 54 51 %national 8 0 %own demo 20 11

%stairs 16 33 %imports 1 0 %demo 46 31





%builders - - %regional 46 52 %cleaned 11 33




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Reclaimed roofing Products include reclaimed clay plain tiles, clay pantiles, clay interlockers, Bridgwater double triple and single romans and others, concrete tiles, stone tiles and slates, reclaimed natural roof slates, ridge and hips.

Analysis The average sale of 4,475 tiles or slates would cover a roof of average tiles or slates of 220m2 in area. This is a relatively large area and would explain why most tiles were sold to the building trade.

Stock 1998 2007 Distance travelled 1998 2007 Where bought 1998 2007

millions 43.6 15.1 %local 40 26 %private 25 28

%regional 50 72 %builders 23 18

%national 10 2 %own demo 42 39



Sales £ per thousand 1440 1810

Customers Goods travel Standards

%private 39 36 %local 40 33 % none 10 30

%builders 49 43 %regional 45 43 % frost resistant 90 70

%developers 8 10 %national 15 5


Table 6 - Combined results relating to reclaimed roofing


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Reclaimed stone Products include walling stone, random, pitch-faced, dressed, ashlar, copings, dressings, cills, lintels and quoins.

Sales to stock ratio 3 1.6


Table 7 - Combined results relating to reclaimed stone

Stock type tonnes 1998 2007 Distance travelled 1998 2007 Where bought 1998 2007

random 222000 86300 %local 26 28 %private 20 27

coursed 28800 45300 %regional 55 68 %builders 15 25

ashlar 4000 2300 %national 13 3 %own demo 47 43

lintel cills 20200 9500 %imports 6 1 %demo 18 3

Customers Goods travel

%private 44 37 %local 34 35

%builders 39 42 %regional 59 55




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Reclaimed wood flooring Products include wood floorboards, roof boards, wood strip, woodblock, parquet, re-sawn beams.

Analysis The 8% of reclaimed wood flooring imported (mostly from France) is mainly oak floorboards and accounts for a third of the reclaimed oak flooring sold in the UK. The use of the word ‘parquet’ in the BigREc survey is for French ‘parquetry’ floors made of panels of geometrically cut and jointed pieces of flooring, but some respondents may use this word interchangeably with ‘woodblock’, so the parquet and temperate hardwood woodblock figures may be affected accordingly. The lack of stocks of tropical hardwood woodstrip in the survey sample is a reflection of its general unavailability as a reclaimed product due to high demand in the past few years.


m sq. %local 36 18 %private 16 16

%regional 39 60 %builders 30 9




%private 59 64 %local 37 23 %air dried 70

%builders 28 18 %regional 44 56 %kiln dry 30

%developers 6 8 %national 17 17 % guaranteed moisture content

20

%trade 7 7 %exports 2 3 %treated 25

Table 8 - Combined results relating to reclaimed wood flooring



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Reclaimed paving, setts, flagstones and floor tiles Products include salvaged concrete slabs or flagstones, reclaimed stone flagstones and setts and kerb, reclaimed clay floor tiles and clay brick pavers.

Table 9 - Combined results relating to reclaimed paving

Stock m sq. 1998 2007 Distance travelled 1998 2007 Where bought 1998 2007

flagstones %local 26 39 %private 11 34

setts 33960 %regional 42 37 %builders 11 18

tiles 26410 %national 14 22 %own demo 44 39

pavers 76550 %imports 18 1 %demo 34 9



%private 50 58 %local 34 32 %yes 70 60

%builders 34 27 %regional 56 51 %no 30 40


%trade 5 7 %exports 3 1 employment 1340 1043


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Architectural stone Products include door surrounds, window surrounds, steps and stairs, facades, stone features, cornice, mouldings, string course, portico, porches and cladding in natural stone, composition stone and concrete.

Table 10 Combined results relating to architectural stone


Most expensive 10605 %local 30 12 %private 21 29

Least expensive 10 36 %regional 58 49 %builders 29 21




%private 47 54 %local 15 18 %yes 70 60

%builders 29 16 %regional 60 43 %no 30 40




employment 729

Analysis The biggest sale polled in the BigREc Survey was for £10,000 and was by no means the biggest recorded in 2006. The Baltic Exchange, damaged by an IRA bomb in 1992, and rescued at the behest of English Heritage was sold to Talinn in Estonia in 2006 by a UK architectural salvage business. It was sold for £800,000 and the stonework weighed around 1,000 tonnes. This transaction was not typical and was probably second only to the world record sale of reclaimed architectural stone - that of the old Hay Tor granite London Bridge by the City of London for $2.5m in 1968, which was used to clad a new concrete frame over Lake Havesu in Arizona, USA.


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Architectural woodwork Products include doors, door surrounds, window frames, window surrounds, shutters, staircases, facades, features, mouldings, skirting, dado, cornice, porches and cladding.

Table 11 Combined results relating to architectural woodwork


Most expensive 8000 18000 %local 35 23 %private 31 37










employment 2212

Analysis In 2005 a mini-survey by Salvo of the trade in reclaimed doors showed that around 2,000,000 doors are removed in demolition and refurbishment each year. Of these, 1.9 million are destroyed and 100,000 are salvaged. Around the same time, the Market Transformation Programme estimated the number of windows replaced each year to be around six million3, of which Salvo estimate around two thirds have wooden frames.

3 - BNWS01 Domestic Window Systems – industry, product & market overview 2007. www.mtprog.com


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Architectural ironwork Products include wrought iron, cast iron and early steel columns, conservatories, windows, doors trusses, frames, features and staircases.

Table 12 Combined results relating to architectural ironwork


Most expensive %local 31 29 %private 24 27










employment 799 424

Analysis The most expensive item sold in 2006 and reported in the BigREc survey was a nineteenth century bandstand from Ascot race course which sold for £100,000 in south west England, and the least expensive was a casement window for £2.50 in eastern England.


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employment 759 95

Architectural terracotta Products include heavily moulded or bas-relief bricks, columns, cladding and balustrade.

Table 13- Combined results relating to architectural terracotta












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Sales to stock ratio 2 1.7

employment 1173 597

Ornamental antique stonework Products include carved stonework, statues, urns, troughs, pillars, cider presses, cider mills, fire surrounds and capitals.

Table 14 - Combined results relating to ornamental antique stonework











Analysis The most expensive item sold in 2006 and reported in the BigREc survey was an antique marble statue which sold for £75,000 in south west England, and the least expensive was a marble corbel for £5 in eastern England.


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employment 1738 429

Ornamental antique woodwork Products include carved work, fire surrounds, church interiors, pub interiors, shop fittings, institutional woodwork, carved relief panels, statues, bygones, carved ships figureheads, fire surrounds, paneling and paneled rooms.

Table 15 - Combined results relating to ornamental antique woodwork











Analysis The most expensive item sold in 2006 and reported in the BigREc survey was an eighteenth century paneled room which sold for £60,000 in south west England, and the least expensive was a wood corbel for £2.50 in eastern England.


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employment 970 542

Ornamental antique ironwork and brassware Products include cast iron radiators, fire surrounds, kitchenware, door fittings, window fittings, church fittings, statues, urns, stoves, fire grates, grilles, gates, railings, cast and wrought iron furniture, fountains, made from wrought and cast iron, lead, brass, bronze, copper, spelter and aluminium.

Table 16 - Combined results relating to ornamental metalwork











Analysis The most expensive item sold in 2006 and reported in the BigREc survey was a lead statue of Mercury which sold for £7,500 in south west England, and the least expensive was a hook for £1 in eastern England.


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employment 80 437

Ornamental antique terracotta and compo Products include statues, vases, reliefs, moulded detail, fireplaces, garden ware, garden edging, flowerpots and forcers in fired clay, earthenware, stoneware, Coade stone, faience, composition stone and concrete.

Table 17 - Combined results relating to ornamental terracotta and compo











Analysis The most expensive item sold in 2006 and reported in the BigREc survey was a pair of Coade statues which sold for £70,000 in south west England, and the least expensive was a flower pot for £1.


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employment 1900 725

Antique and retro bathroom sanitaryware Products include baths, basins, toilets, cisterns, towel rails, bathroom cabinets, brass taps, shower heads, flush pipe, stoneware, earthenware, porcelain, vitrolite, brass, lead and copper bathroom fittings.

Table 18 - Combined results relating to antique bathroom and sanitaryware











Analysis The most expensive item sold in 2006 and reported in the BigREc survey was an antique shower bath which sold for £10,000 in southern England, and the least expensive was a brass plug for £1 in eastern England. All respondents had standards of supply giving a level of guarantee for resurfaced baths and refurbished taps.


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Other items Products include stained glass, leaded glass, tables, chairs, lighting, gym equipment, books, catering equipment, office furniture and chandeliers.

In the ‘other items’ category the most expensive sold in 2006 and reported in the BigREc survey was a stained glass window which sold for £40,000 in south west England, and the least expensive was a pub mirror for £5 in northern England.

Analysis This category was included in the 1998 BigREc survey and used by respondents to place items for which there was no category listed elsewhere. The category was also used to place items which should have been placed elsewhere, and was also used for some reproduction items.

This section has a relatively low overall significance aside from the fact that it highlights the possible need for ‘lighting’, ‘glass’ and ‘bygones, books, pictures, furniture and fixtures’ categories in future surveys, and it also provides useful employment data which completes the employment statistics for the whole survey. The category was included in BigREc 2007 to keep the comparative analysis with the previous survey consistent.

Salvaged concrete

This category was included in both surveys. Products include corrugated asbestos cement sheet and concrete cladding panels. It previously included recycled concrete, though this data is better sourced from the CLG 2007 survey4.

No respondents reported activity in this sector, therefore there is no additional information to report. Asbestos cement sheeting was banned for resale by the UK government which has effectively stopped this area of reclamation. Any remaining stock will be a financial liability, requiring disposal to landfill sites able to accept asbestos waste.

Possible markets for concrete cladding panels include: • exposedaggregatecladdingpanelscouldbeused as paving • re-useoflateralandverticalbeamsofreinforced concrete frame structures in foundations.

4 - CDEW Survey of Arisings and Use of Alternatives to Primary Aggregates in England 2005 (CLG 2007)


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In the ‘salvaged’ sector, there appears to be more activity than predicted, with sales identified by the postcard survey showing a 400% increase. The most likely explanation for this is that BigREc respondents have dropped out of scrap leaving the field to new small one-man businesses selling scrap UPVC windows, scrap plasterboard, secondhand but reusable modern plumbing and electrical fittings etc. The supply of these materials is split between private disposals and direct from demolition. The survey shows an increase in customers who are developers, which could possibly be a result of buy-to-lets mopping up cheaper secondhand materials for refurbishment. There is now stronger demand for reusable steels but the supply does not appear to be feeding through into salvaged stocks from demolition.

The supply of modern timber and timber fittings from demolition has all but stopped. Although no wood is burned either on demolition sites or by demolition contractors off site, the amount of reclaimable salvage wood, as opposed to scrap unusable wood, has dropped. Most of this wood appears to be chipped for compost or turned into MDF panel board.

In the ‘reclaimed’ sector, anecdotal evidence from salvage dealers indicates that old but reclaimable timber beams are being chipped for MDF or compost and reclaimable secondhand bricks are being crushed by demolition contractors under time pressure. The picture emerging from the BigREc survey seems to reinforce the trade’s views about bricks but undermines their views on reclaimed beams. Reclaimed brick stocks are down from 37 million to 33 million and the amount supplied from demolition sites has dropped. There were more customers for reclaimed bricks from the private sector in 2007 compared to 1997, despite an increase in standards of supply which should, in theory, have attracted more mainstream construction customers.

Reclaimed roofing stocks have dropped by two-thirds, probably as a result of difficulties in getting access to sites to remove tiles and slates ahead of demolition.

Sales have also dropped by two thirds, although the percentage sold to mainstream construction has risen from 8% to 18%. Standards of supply were higher in reclaimed roofing than other sectors in 1997, and have remained so.

Reclaimed stone stocks are down by a half although the amount paid per tonne has risen from £35 in 1997 to £150 in 2007. Most now comes from private sources. Demolition supplied eight times more stone in 1997 than in 2007 despite the quadrupling in prices paid.

Reclaimed flooring stocks are down and fewer dealers are trading in flooring, possibly a result of cheaper competition from the new laminate wood-flooring sector. Customers are down and sales have dropped from £29m to £12m. In order to try to compete with new kiln-dried wood, the number of dealers able to supply kiln-dried reclaimed flooring has risen from 25% to 80%.

The real or perceived additional labour costs of fitting reclaimed wood flooring and the fact that many people cannot see the difference in quality between antiqued new wood and original reclaimed may be to blame. Reclaimed paving stocks are down from 573,000 m2 to 141,000 m2, although prices paid for reclaimed flooring stocks have risen from an average of £16 in 1997 to £48 per square metre in 2007.

The ‘architectural’ sector saw an increase in sales from £26m to £43m. There seems to have been a shift in appreciation of antique worked stone and wood from earlier times, with more people wanting to fit details back into period property and new properties. The fact that considerably less stocks are carried now than ten years ago means that customers are prepared to act faster when the right item comes up. This can assist in a more rapid demolition-to- end-user transaction.

More people are using antique ornamental stone and terracotta, often in gardens or landscape settings,

Conclusions


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and such material has been getting scarcer and more expensive for years. The salvage trade is unlike others in that old stocks in all sectors of the conventional economy depreciate and must be sold on cheaply to make way for new models. The opposite tends to be true in salvage where stocks appreciate the longer they remain unsold. A southwest business that was trading primarily in ornamental stone for thirty years has seen the value of its old unrestored stock increase by a factor of ten in the past ten years. This material cannot be replaced at the cheaper prices at which it was originally bought so the business is in no hurry to sell and can hold out for high prices for finished pieces.

In 1997, most salvage operators were local resources, taking in local materials and reselling them locally. Now they operate regionally, and supplement their reclaimed stocks with 50% new materials. At the same time, far fewer materials are coming to the trade from demolition waste streams than ten years ago. The overall amount saved for reuse by the architectural salvage sector has dropped from 3.3 million tonnes to 2.6 million tonnes in the past ten years. Consequently, the amount of embodied energy being avoided has reduced significantly. The overall impact is further compounded when the supply of materials dries up, since the trade suppliers move over to new and reproduction materials, often sourced from far-away countries.

Overall, the trade in 2007 shows a large increase in value of sales but a general decrease in the volumes of materials salvaged. There appears to have been a shift in the trade since 1997 from selling entirely reclaimed building materials and architectural salvage to 2007 where sales also include a significant proportion of new and reproduction alternatives to salvaged materials, perhaps as high as 50% of sales.

This means that the demand for reclaimed, or reclaimed – effect, products has increased over the past ten years.

The shift towards reproduction items suggests one or more of the following: • Supplyofgenuineitemsislowerthandemand;either because they are not entering the marketplace (i.e. being recycled or landfilled) or because demolition of appropriate buildings is taking place at a lower rate • Genuinereclaimedproductsandmaterialsaremore expensive than their reproduction equivalent • Customershaveconcernsovertheprovenanceor ‘fitness for purpose’ of genuine reclaimed products and materials

The trend is very concerning as the positive environmental effect of reclaiming building materials cannot be attributed to reproduction items, whilst customers may be under the false impression that they are reusing materials and products. Hopefully, the requirement to have documentation relating to the source of reused materials in the Code for Sustainable Homes will help to raise awareness of genuine reclamation versus reproduction.

Of the underlying reasons listed above, the CRWP will be concentrating on the third aspect in the next stage ofwork;i.e.improvinginformationrelatingtotheuse,performance and embodied energy of key reclaimed products and materials.

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2007 bigrec survey - wrap survey report.pdftable 1 - illustrates the change in the amount and type...

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