The accumulation of construction waste remains one of the most acute environmental problems in Russia. According to Rosprirodnadzor, 78.8 million tons of construction and demolition waste were generated in the country in 2024. Of these, only 13.6 million tons were sent for processing, which is 17.3% of the total volume, or about one sixth. At the same time, almost half of the building materials that are currently being put on landfills can be returned to circulation. Such data was presented at a meeting of the Committee on Sustainable Development and the ESG of the Association of Managers. The event was dedicated to the theme "A city of the future without construction waste," according to the press service of the Rockwool company.
Year-on-year, the indicators show positive dynamics. In 2023, there was more construction waste – 97.1 million tons, and the volume of processed raw materials was lower – 12.3 million tons, or 12.7%. Thus, despite the fact that the total mass of new construction waste decreased in 2024 against the background of cooling in the industry, the volume of waste recycled increased not only in percentage terms, but also in absolute terms – by 1.3 million tons.
Against the background of these data, industry players state that the demand for recycling is growing, but there are still many obstacles, the meeting participants noted. According to the annual research of the Rockwool company, 98% of developers attach great importance to the problem of accumulation of construction waste. 63% are confident that recycling and proper disposal are economically justified; another 28% are inclined to this opinion. Only 9% of respondents doubt the benefits of recycling.
According to the study, in 2025, 79% of construction companies transferred at least a small part of the waste for recycling to specialized enterprises, this is the most common disposal option, said Galina Pogartseva, head of Marketing Communications at Rockvool. "The most important advantage of this approach is the possibility of recycling resources," she said.
As reported by Vedomosti. Sustainable Development", a similar study conducted in 2024, showed approximately the same results: 81% of the companies participating in the survey practiced waste transfer to specialized enterprises. 63% of respondents said they resell the remaining materials, and 57% said they use specialized containers for different types of waste.
Today, 52% of developers implement their own recycling programs, the study found. Among those who have not yet implemented such practices, interest in projects has doubled: 41% are ready to start work in the near future, against 20% in 2024.Market participants cite financial costs as the main barrier: 78% of respondents indicated this, compared with 84% a year earlier. Other obstacles include legislative and regulatory risks, lack of information on legal procedures (36%), weak government support (35%), lack of infrastructure (32%), and lack of customer support (32%).
The government has set an ambitious goal for the industry: to increase the proportion of construction waste that is reused to 40% by 2030, said Elena Yemelyanova, Head of the ESG department at the Association of Managers. "This requires new tools, both private and public," she said.
The lack of modern sorting and processing facilities is one of the main obstacles to the development of the industry. "In many regions, there is still insufficient capacity for sorting, recycling and releasing recycled materials," said the head of the Green Building group Dom.Russian Federation Artem Seleznev. He added that there is a House to solve the problem.The Russian Federation proposed to develop a mechanism for concessional financing of projects for the creation and modernization of such facilities using SOPF infrastructure bonds (specialized organizations of project financing, are a tool of the House.The Russian Federation for financing infrastructure projects adapted to the Russian economy. – "Vedomosti. Sustainable development"). It is also proposed to provide urban planning incentives – partial exemption from a number of payments when introducing separate collection and use of recycled materials, Seleznev noted.
Demolition waste is another industry problem. According to Sergey Zolotukhin, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Building Structures, Foundations and Foundations at VSTU, it is extremely difficult to return many materials to circulation after the demolition of buildings. "For example, when crushing a durable cement stone, a frost–resistant, low–grade material is formed, and the re-melting of reinforcement is expensive and not environmentally friendly," the expert noted. According to him, modern technologies allow for careful piecemeal dismantling, which facilitates the reuse of structures. To do this, it is necessary to prohibit the demolition of buildings entirely and allow only piecemeal dismantling.
The only way to reverse the trend towards uncontrolled growth of landfills is through the joint efforts of all participants in the process and the implementation of ESG principles in both enterprise economics and urban planning, the panelists concluded.
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