SOLUTION / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
Sirken turns surplus building materials into valuable commodity
- Published 14 December 2022; updated 21 September 2026; estimated reading time 3 minutes. Marked “Soon available” with a note that concrete plans exist for near-term commercial availability. Listed under Circular economy.
- Sirken (company Sirk AS) describes a self-service marketplace for unused construction materials. Sellers pay a small fee to place ventilated shipping-container shops at construction sites, with secure coded entry, heavy-duty shelves and self-service payment. Sellers avoid disposal costs and receive part of sale proceeds; buyers create a free online account, enter the container and pay for materials. The service is intended to keep unused goods in circulation rather than sending them to landfill or incineration.
- The article says contractors can save storage, transport and disposal costs, while buyers get lower prices. The CEO reports savings of 40–70% on some high-quality unused goods. A one-month pilot was reported to have diverted 12 tonnes of waste and avoided 7,000 kg of CO₂; these are company-reported pilot results. The page also says 250,000 tonnes of lumber are discarded annually in Norway, an attributed estimate.
- The company describes surplus goods as 10–15% of total construction waste, and says the addressable market is much larger than the number it can reach. It had signed agreements with five large industry players, including Veidekke and Backe, at article time.
- Status caveat: despite the page’s 2026 update date, it still labels the solution “Soon available” and says commercial launch was planned for early 2022. That plan date has passed; the article does not confirm launch or current operating status. Its market section also attributes 40% of global CO₂ emissions to construction and nearly 37% of EU waste to construction.
- Linked to SDGs 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) and 12 (Responsible consumption and production).
- Contact: Ingvar Aune, Co-founder and CEO, ingvar@sirken.no. Company: SIRK AS, Bergssvevegen 60, 7510 Skatval, Norway; sirken.no. A phone-number reveal control is present.