How to use recycled materials and products

Plasterboard waste from construction offcuts can be recycled and the gypsum and paper recovered if it is free from contamination.

How to use recycled plasterboard in your business

You may be able to use recycled gypsum from waste plasterboard in a variety of applications which currently use gypsum from natural or synthetic sources including:

• concrete construction products
• lining for walls and ceilings
• forming structures such as partitions
• soil improver

Advantages of using recycled plasterboard

Using recycled gypsum from plasterboard is beneficial to your business and the environment because it:

• reduces the volume of waste sent to landfill
• reduces your costs
• increases your business profile and commitment to corporate social responsibility

UK plasterboard manufacturers and WRAP have signed up to the Ashdown Agreement to:

• reduce plasterboard waste to landfill
• increase plasterboard recycling

The voluntary agreement is reviewed annually to evaluate progress against its targets.

Standards and quality protocols for recycling plasterboard

If you are sourcing recycled plasterboard to use in your business, it should conform to certain standards. This will help you choose good quality recycled gypsum.

Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 109 sets out the specification for the production of recycled gypsum from waste plasterboard. PAS 109 covers the:

• selection, receipt and handling of input materials
• specifications of product grades
• storage, labelling, dispatch and traceability of products
• requirements for quality management systems to ensure it is fit for intended use

The quality protocol for recycled gypsum sets out the standards that gypsum needs to meet for it not to be classed as waste.

Where to source recycled plasterboard

There are a number of businesses that recover gypsum from used plasterboard and manufacture new plasterboard from this recovered material.