In Fryerstown, Victoria, the couple began their building project as a practical solution to their tight budget, but it soon became a testament to their dedication to reducing waste. Their house, built over several years in the early 2000s, incorporates beams salvaged from a railway line, trusses from a tech school and even a grain silo repurposed as a bathroom.  

"We've become such a throwaway world, and the stuff we're throwing away is quite often awesome and better quality than what we've got now," Mat said.  

They salvage bricks, metal and timber from various demolished buildings, and over time their growing collection of reclaimed materials led them to start The Salvage Yard in Castlemaine, Victoria. There they sell these materials, keeping them out of landfills and encouraging others to reduce construction waste by reusing valuable materials.  

Similarly, Quentin Irvine, a designer-builder from Beaufort, Victoria, is taking the concept of recycling materials a step further with his ‘recyclable house’ project focused on creating homes from materials that can be fully recycled at the end of their life.  

To ensure that materials can be recycled, he uses natural paint and compounds for plasterboards. This approach allows them to be crushed and repurposed into fertiliser, as the materials are primarily made from paper and lime. Quentine has also built a second home in Creswick with the same recyclability concept and is now developing prototypes for high-thermal performance, fully recyclable doors and windows. 

According to Professor Kocaturk, architect and educator from Deakin University, reducing waste in Australia's construction industry is key to achieving net zero carbon emissions.   

“Working with reclaimed materials is only part of what's needed to move to a circular economy in the construction industry,” she added.  

Both Mat and Anna’s approach and Quentin’s recyclable house are great examples of sustainable practices in construction, showing how creativity and dedication can transform how we build and reduce the environmental impact of our housing using circular economy practices. 

Register for our free ‘Circular Economy Fundamentals’ webinars to learn what the circular economy is, why it is needed and how it can benefit all manner of organisations.   

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