Developing procedures, sustainable demolition and recycling of building materials

From 1 July 2025, a new law will come into force in Denmark that requires all properties over 250 m² to be resource mapped before demolition. Guldborgsund Municipality has therefore decided that all properties that the municipality itself demolishes must undergo both a resource mapping and an environmental screening before demolition. These tasks are carried out by a trained consultant.
Before a property is demolished, environmental screening is carried out where samples are taken to test for substances such as asbestos, PCBs and lead-based paint. Subsequently, a resource mapping is carried out where images of different materials are taken to assess whether windows and bricks, for example, can be reused. This method assesses whether the materials can be reused in new projects.
Following these surveys, tender documents are prepared that detail how the property will be demolished. Firstly, the property is decontaminated by removing environmentally hazardous substances, after which you are left with a clean property. The tender documents also describe how recyclable materials, such as bricks, will be dismantled and placed on pallets.
Guldborgsund Municipality has been trialing this procedure for a year or two and found that this type of demolition is more costly than traditional demolition with a bulldozer. However, selective demolition supports the environment and the municipality's climate action plan.