Recycling may be gaining attention these days, but the process is nothing new. Once, it was the rag-and-bone man trundling a cart through the streets who would collect old rags to be converted into fabric, bones for making glue, and metal scrap for reuse. However, with the world’s waste mounting, there is an urgent need for technological solutions that can turn the rag-and-bone man’s ancient trade into a vast network of businesses that will prevent waste going into landfills and save industry money on the purchase of new materials.

The potential for all kinds of waste to be reused was highlighted early last year when an unusual building caught the attention of the architecture world. Big Dig House used as its main structural element more than 600,000 pounds of steel and concrete salvaged from Boston’s Big Dig project, which re-routed the city’s main highway through a tunnel.