When you’re creating waste, you never really think about where it goes. However at AJ Grab Hire, we not only know where it needs to go, but we’re passionate about making sure that some of that waste gets a second life.

While many people just see waste, as waste; the reality is, waste is a resource that can be transformed into a number of bi-products. From the timber to the concrete, you genuinely never know what it could be used for and transformed into to support another project.

As advocates for a circular economy where waste can be reused, we’re always fascinated by the innovations and inventions that are coming through which show us time and time again that waste is never wasted.

LEGO Moving to Reduce Plastic Pollution

Who doesn’t love a bit of LEGO? – But what’s making us love them, even more, is their recent announcement that LEGO Group will now be attempting to make all their bricks from recycled plastic.

LEGO has always been passionate about sustainability, and since 2018 have been using sugarcane to produce their infamous bricks.

However, in June 2021 LEGO officially announced a prototype brick that is made entirely from recycled plastic. The aim is to make all LEGO bricks sustainable by 2030.

LEGO released a glimpse of the first brick made from PET plastic, which is created from discarded plastic bottles. A 1-litre plastic bottle can currently make 10 LEGO bricks.

It is estimated that LEGO will spend a year testing the new recycled bricks before the team officially launches them into their well-known sets.

A Recycled Brick Made from Construction Waste 

From toy bricks to construction bricks, it seems innovation is well underway in the construction sector thanks to an invention that uses construction waste.

K-Brig is made of over 90% recycled demolition and construction waste materials and has now been awarded £1 million in funding by Zero Waste Scotland to begin commercial production.

The idea of the recycled material brick was conceived by Professor Gabriela Medero from Heriot-Watt University, following more than a decade of research on creating products from recycled construction waste.

K-Briq aims to create more than two million bricks per year and deliver the equivalent of 924 low carbon homes over five years.
Unlike traditional bricks, K-Briq produces a tenth of the CO2 emissions and requires less than a tenth of the energy in its manufacturing.

This may well be the slow demise of the traditional brick.

Rainbow Recycled Benches for the NHS

A set of Rainbow benches were created from recycled plastic for NHS hospitals. 

The idea began in North Devon, where the beaches were commissioned for North Devon Hospital to thank the NHS staff for everything they have done and continue to do. 

TDP the builders of the benches engraved “Thankful for our many pots of gold”, across the back of each one to raise a smile to anyone visiting the hospital and taking a seat. 

The hope is that many more hospitals will be able to have rainbow benches at their sites for many years to come. 

The New Serpentine Pavilion

You would never expect to see waste as part of an architect’s plans for one of the most affluent areas of London, but Kensington Gardens has just gained a circular economy pavilion.

The New Serpentine Pavilion built by 31-year old architect Sumayya Vally is made almost entirely out of waste materials. Including waste from marble production, reclaimed steel, and cork used in winemaking.

Commissioned by Serpentine Galleries, the build aimed to be carbon negative. Therefore to produce and construct it, Valley primarily uses recycled or repurposed materials for its construction.

With a variety of innovations pushing the boundaries of what we know as waste no sector isn’t considering sustainability and thinking about how it’s impacting the wider environment.
As we continue to understand more about the need for change, we’re excited to see what other inventions will emerge this year.

Contact AJ Grab Hire to discuss your grab hire and recycling needs.