Contact: Olivia Cashman, Hennepin County construction and demolition specialist, [email protected]
Alisa Reckinger, Hennepin County Environment and Energy communications, [email protected]
Subject: Salvage, reuse, and recycle building materials
Newsletter article – long versionSalvage, reuse, and recycle building materials during your next home projectMany building materials have the potential to be salvaged and reused or recycled. In fact, about 85 percent of the materials in a typical demolition project could be salvaged and kept out of landfills. But currently, only about 30 percent of building materials are reused or recycled.
Materials that can be salvaged and reusedReusing building materials is environmentally preferred over recycling or trash disposal because it avoids energy use and costs associated with manufacturing new products and diverts materials from landfills.
Building materials that can commonly be salvaged for reuse include appliances, cabinets, doors, hot water radiators, light fixtures, windows, and wood flooring and trim.
There are several for-profit and nonprofit companies that accept usable household building materials in the Twin Cities. Some companies will come to your home to remove building materials, and some of these companies will pay for your building materials.
Recycling construction and demolition materialsSome buildings materials that can’t be salvaged for reuse can be recycled. There are several construction and demolition waste processing facilities in the Twin Cities that recycle materials such as asphalt, metals, and wood.
Hennepin County Environment and Energy701 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 700, Minneapolis MN 55406612-348-3777 | hennepin.us/salvage
Residents can either bring loads of materials to these businesses, or the businesses can provide roll-off boxes to keep onsite to collect materials throughout the project. This can be done at a comparable price of sending these materials to a landfill.
Properly dispose of hazardous wasteHousehold hazardous wastes, such as fluorescent bulbs, mercury thermostats, and lawn, garden and automotive materials, are often discovered during home construction projects. Bring household hazardous waste to a Hennepin County drop-off facility in Bloomington or Brooklyn Park for proper disposal. Learn more at hennepin.us/dropoffs.
Plan ahead and talk to your contractorsIt is important to plan ahead with salvage and recycling businesses and communicate your building material salvage and recycling plans with any contractors at the start of your remodeling, construction, or demolition project. Be sure to set clear goals, talk to contractors about how they manage waste, communicate throughout the project, and follow up.
Learn moreGet more tips on salvaging building materials and find lists of local businesses who reuse and recycling construction and demolition waste at hennepin.us/salvage. If you have questions or need help with managing waste from a remodeling or demolition project, contact Olivia Cashman at [email protected] or 612-348-4843.
Newsletter article – short versionSalvage, reuse, and recycle building materials during your next home projectMany building materials have the potential to be salvaged and reused or recycled. In fact, about 85 percent of the materials in a typical demolition project could be salvaged and kept out of landfills.
Reusing or recycling building materials is environmentally preferred over recycling or trash disposal because it avoids energy use and costs associated with manufacturing new products and diverts materials from landfills.
Some ways to manage common building materials include:
Salvage and reuse: Building materials that can commonly be salvaged for reuse include appliances, cabinets, doors, hot water radiators, light fixtures, windows, and wood flooring and trim.
Recycle: Some buildings materials that can’t be salvaged for reuse can be recycled, including asphalt, metals, and wood.
Properly dispose of hazardous waste: Hazardous items like fluorescent bulbs, mercury thermostats, and lawn, garden and automotive materials should be brought to a Hennepin County drop-off facility for proper disposal.
It is important to plan ahead with salvage and recycling businesses and communicate your building material salvage and recycling plans with any contractors at the start of your remodeling, construction, or demolition project. Be sure to set clear goals, talk to contractors about how they manage waste, communicate throughout the project, and follow up.
Get more tips on salvaging building materials and find lists of local businesses who reuse and recycle construction and demolition waste at hennepin.us/salvage.
Social media postsBuilding material salvage, reuse, and recycling: a guide for homeownersPost 1: Intro and overview
Many building materials have the potential to be salvaged and reused or recycled. In fact, about 85 percent of the materials in a typical demolition project could be salvaged and kept out of landfills. But currently, only about 30 percent of building materials are reused or recycled.
There are many options for reducing the amount of construction and demolition waste that ends up in landfills during your next home remodeling or construction project. Follow along – our next series of posts will share tips and resources to help you salvage, reuse, recycle, and properly dispose of building materials.
Shorter (Twitter): About 85 percent of building materials in typical demolition or remodeling project could be salvaged and kept out of landfills. But currently, only about 30 percent is reused or recycled. Find options for reducing the amount of waste going to landfills at www.hennepin.us/salvage
Suggested images: home-construction-demolition, home-construction-hammer-nail, deconstruction_harvesting_wood
Post 2: Salvage and reuse
Building materials that can commonly be salvaged for reuse include appliances, cabinets, doors, hot water radiators, light fixtures, windows, and wood flooring and trim. Reusing building materials is environmentally preferred over recycling or trash disposal because it avoids energy use and costs associated with manufacturing new products and diverts materials from landfills. Find local businesses that accept household building materials at www.hennepin.us/salvage.
Shorter (Twitter): Appliances, cabinets, doors, hot water radiators, light fixtures, windows, and wood flooring and trim can all be salvaged for reuse, which environmentally preferred over recycling or trash disposal. Find local businesses that accept building materials at www.hennepin.us/salvage
Suggested images: salvaged-materials-light-fixture, deconstruction-warehouse
Post 3: Recycling
Some buildings materials that can’t be salvaged for reuse can be recycled. There are several construction and demolition waste processing facilities in the Twin Cities that recycle
materials such as asphalt, metals, and wood. You can either bring loads of materials to these businesses, or the businesses can provide roll-off boxes to keep onsite to collect materials throughout the project. This can be done at a comparable price of sending these materials to a landfill. Find businesses that recycle building materials at www.hennepin.us/salvage.
Shorter (Twitter): Some buildings materials that can’t be salvaged for reuse can be recycled, including asphalt, metals, and wood. Find construction and demolition waste processing facilities in the Twin Cities that recycle building materials at www.hennepin.us/salvage
Suggested image: recycling-building-materials
Post 4: Household hazardous waste
Household hazardous wastes, such as fluorescent bulbs, mercury thermostats, paints, and lawn, garden and automotive materials, are often discovered during home construction projects. Bring household hazardous waste to a Hennepin County drop-off facility in Bloomington or Brooklyn Park for proper disposal. Learn more at hennepin.us/dropoffs.
Shorter (Twitter): Hazardous wastes like fluorescent bulbs, mercury thermostats, paints, and lawn, garden and automotive products are often discovered during home construction projects. Bring them to a Hennepin County drop-off facility for proper disposal www.hennepin.us/dropoffs
Suggested image: hhw-unboxed
Post 5: Deconstruction
Deconstruction is the process of carefully dismantling building structures to salvage building materials for reuse. Deconstruction can divert up to 90 percent of building materials for reuse or recycling, providing several environmental and social benefits compared to demolition. Deconstruction prevents usable materials from going to the landfill, makes used building materials available to the community, provides additional jobs, and supports local reuse retailers.
It is important to plan ahead when considering deconstruction because the project will likely take longer to complete and could have increased labor costs. Homeowners in some cities may be eligible for funding for their deconstruction project. Learn more at www.hennepin.us/deconstruction.
Shorter (Twitter): Deconstruction is the process of carefully dismantling building structures to salvage building materials for reuse, providing several environmental and social benefits compared to demolition. Homeowners in some cities can get funding for deconstruction www.hennepin.us/deconstruction
Suggested images: framing-deconstruction2
Post 6: Plan ahead and talk to your contractors
It is important to plan ahead with salvage and recycling businesses and communicate your building material salvage and recycling plans with any contractors at the start of your remodeling, construction, or demolition project. Be sure to set clear goals, talk to contractors about how they manage waste, communicate throughout the project, and follow up. Learn more at www.hennepin.us/salvage.
Shorter (Twitter): It is important to plan ahead with salvage and recycling businesses and communicate your building material salvage and recycling plans with any contractors at the start of your remodeling, construction, or demolition project. Get tips at www.hennepin.us/salvage
Suggested images: salvaged-materials-window, salvaged-building-materials
ImagesTo use: Right click on an image and select save picture as
Photo credit: Hennepin County
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