Home Renovations: Consider Not Only the In, But the Out as Well

As almost any homeowner will attest to, renovations of some sort seem to be a never ending occurrence. As soon as one project is finished, there are five more added to the list!

While a great deal of time and thought is given to the changes to be made: which counter top to go with; the type of flooring; lighting fixtures and so on. A similar amount of effort and thought should also go into what happens to the old materials being removed.

Construction waste is a massive burden on our landfill sites. Waste from construction, demolition and renovation account for nearly one third of all waste sent to landfill sites in Canada. With a little bit of thought, effort and pre-planning much of this waste can be diverted.

Here are some suggestions for ways that you can reduce the waste caused by your next renovation:

Reduce:

aPlan ahead with careful measurements and careful ordering of product quantities to avoid wastage from sloppy cuts and over purchases

a Minimize damage of construction materials through proper on-site storage and handling

Reuse:

a Rather then discarding, save quality building materials for reuse on either the same site or for use on another site

a Some items such as old bricks and wide plank lumber can be cleaned and reused on the site, or for vintage age materials can be a popular item for resale to designers and architects

a Donate to a charitable organization such as Habitat for Humanity

Recycle:

a Paper from both building materials and the packaging from materials should be sorted for appropriate recycling programs

a Metals can be sent or sold to scrap yards

a Some wood products can be diverted from land fill and be used for uses such as: landscaping material, animal bedding


For a print out of this tip sheet, as well as other information about construction waste diversion and the basics of green building products, please visit the Info Sheets page of Eco Building Options.