Building on waste: Bagasse, ‘garbage housing’, and the promise of a circular economy

In May 2023, a team of researchers at the University of East London announced that they had developed a new material: Sugarcrete [1].Its aim, the team announced, was to create 'ultra-low carbon building components using sugarcane bio-waste' , a move they claimed could help the construction industry reduce carbon emissions.1 Made from sugarcane bio-waste, or bagasse, Sugarcrete is designed to be four times lighter and to produce 20% less carbon emissions than conventional bricks.The team also argued that upcycling this waste could 'develop locally made construction solutions for sugar-producing communities in the Global South where construction materials are frequently imported, environmentally poor performing, high cost, and high carbon.'2 As an example, they cited Cuba, once a major sugar-producing country and, before that, a Spanish sugar-producing colony dating back to the seventeenth century. 3To the extent I can assess, the team's scientific claims appears sound.Whether in slab or brick form, Sugarcrete demonstrates the potential for engineered building materials to support a circular economy. 4 Yet their account omits the fact that bagasse-based systems have been around for at least materials This article examines contemporary enthusiasm for 'bio-based' building materials through the long history of constructing with industrial and agricultural waste.Building on waste: Bagasse, 'garbage housing', and the promise of a circular economy