Resources Lie Dormant Behind the Walls: The Path to Recycling Charted by Gypsum Board—Since the 2000s

Gypsum board, widely used in the walls and ceilings of buildings, generates large amounts of waste material during new construction and demolition. The report highlights the need to reuse waste drywall as raw material for gypsum and to advance resource circulation. In particular, as the number of building demolitions increases, so does the volume of waste generated; therefore, it is crucial to establish a system that connects collection, sorting, and recycling. The Ministry of the Environment has also identified the insufficient progress in recycling waste gypsum board generated during demolition as an issue, citing difficulties in sorting and separation, as well as a lack of markets for recycled products. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, over 1 million metric tons of waste gypsum board are generated annually, and the volume of waste from demolition projects in particular is expected to increase in the future. For this reason, separating gypsum board from other construction waste on-site—rather than mixing it with other materials—is the starting point for recycling. Once collected, waste gypsum board can be processed—by removing paper and other materials and crushing the gypsum portion—to be reused as raw material for new gypsum board, among other applications. The Gypsum Board Industry Association also regards the recycling of waste gypsum board as a key environmental initiative and publishes information on recycling. However, technology alone is not enough to establish a sustainable cycle. It requires an integrated approach involving on-site sorting at demolition sites, stable collection routes, processing facilities to remove foreign matter, and a market that accepts recycled gypsum. Rather than simply landfilling waste drywall as construction waste, it should be returned to the cycle as a raw material to support future buildings. The more this cycle expands, the more it will reduce the burden on landfills and move the construction industry toward a resource-circulating model.