Recycling Buildings also Good on the Pocketbook
by on 11. 8.04
Ugly fact: The demolition of buildings in the U.S. produces about 124 million tons of debris each year. Where does it go? You guessed it--mostly to landfills. Luckily, some companies are starting to recognize the absurdity of such waste, and a distribution network for used building materials has begun to..
shape up. PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh, for one, plans to recycle 8,000 of the 11,000 tons of waste that will be generated when it knocks down the city’s former Public Safety Building (their turning the space into a park, too boot). Concrete will refill the site, steel will be made into new rebar, aluminum will be reused in other products, and foam-board ceiling tiles will be returned to the manufacturer for reuse. This has obvious environmental benefits, but the company will also be saving more than $200K in dump fees alone. Just goes to show that what’s good for the goose… ::MSNBC [by MO]
This is definitely a move in the right direction. But for the average Joe doing home improvement or demolition, look for nonprofits or stores in your area that specialize in recycled building materials. There are even some national (US) nonprofits that sponsor re-use stores. A new nonprofit servicing the greater Hartford, Connecticut area is to open a store later this summer - The ReCONNstruction Center.