Is Cast Iron Guttering Eco Friendly?

With eco-consciousness becoming more and more widespread, the choice to use environmentally friendly goods is seeping into the construction industry too.

Cast iron gutters have been a stylish favourite since Victorian time – but what was once considered vintage is now becoming to go-to choice for an environmentally-friendly solution.

Why Is Cast Iron Eco Friendly?

Typically, cast iron gutters are made from a mix of materials such as scrap iron, scrap steel pressings and scrap steel casting. Reusing these materials means that often, cast iron gutters are made from 70-75% recycled content.

When it comes to the end of your gutter system’s life, your gutters can be further recycled. In fact, cast iron is a Greenpeace recommended drainage material and is the optimal choice for reducing the environmental impact of a project.

Cast iron also has a lower impact in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emission when taking into account installation cycle, embodied energy, embodied CO2, maintenance and repair cost and whole life cost.

How Long Does Cast Iron Last?

Cast iron gutters are expected to last at minimum 50 years, but often this is proven to be over 100 years with the correct installation and maintenance. The long-life element of these gutters mean they need replacing less frequently, and the maintenance required is minimum.