Simple recycling demolition and construction waste may restrict the product to low grade applications.
Higher levels of processing may increases the environmental impact but allow for a higher grade application.
For example:
Low grade use of demolition material.
On-site rough crushing and possibly screening of demolition material to produce a material which is suitable for:
On site fill.
Landfill engineering.
Low level processing does not necessarily use waste materials efficiently and may sometimes be used as a cheap form of disposal.
High grade use of demolition material.
Higher grade use involves the on-site crushing of segregated material, such as concrete, into a graded higher value building product suitable as a substitute for primary aggregate used in for example:
Road building.
Concrete.
Examples of high grade recycling for other materials, include: