Today on the radio I’m talking about recycling as it pertains to construction and remodeling. What’s interesting here is what a large proportion of our waste this debris makes up. Dallas Landfill Manager Rick White told me that while composition of landfill intake fluctuates, it’s not unreasonable to say that construction debris makes up 40% of the total.
One practice that reduces such waste is salvaging more usable materials. I’ve listed a few salvage places to check out at the bottom of this post.
Another option for reducing waste that is doable for just about anyone is to take advantage of free online classified-type ads for disposing of or purchasing items that still have useful life left in them. My particular favorite is the Craigslist “Household” section. On most days this section for DFW alone has more than 300 items posted.
I purchased my dishwasher via this method from a lady who was getting rid of her relatively new, high-end white Kenmore for a stainless steel model. Here it is in my kitchen:
New DW, originally uploaded by espeedy123.
And to come full circle, I posted my old one in the “Free” section of Craigslist, and a guy who actually still has one of these was more than happy to take it off my hands for the parts. Here’s the old one:
Vintage DW, originally uploaded by espeedy123.
My motivation was more financial than environmental, but at the end of the day the landfill had two fewer dishwasers than it might have, and surely that’s worth something.
Architectural Salvage Sources in Dallas
Online sources for reusable remodeling materials
- Craigslist: As noted above, the “Household” section is great for nearly new appliances, cabinets, etc.
- Ebay: Helpful for finding specific items such like fixtures with the site’s “Search” and “Watch” features.
erin covert * hands on 