Been bitten by the HGTV bug? Remodeling projects are on the rise. Whether we are tackling our own DIY projects or recommending projects to clients to get their homes in sell-ready condition, we have to wonder what we are going to do with all the old building materials we will be replacing with bright, shiny, new stuff.
Too much of it goes in the dumpster or to the curb where it will end up in our landfills. But with a little thought and action, we can recycle much of what we throw out. If you Google "recycle building materials" you may find local sources that will take your old stuff and reuse it. Some of these also offer new, vintage, or recycled products that you can use in your remodeling project.
Here are a few ideas:
www.craigslist.org: The great thing about this site is that you can sell materials and get some money for your next project or you can give it away. Because it is a local market, whoever wants it will come and take it away.
www.freecycle.org: Like Craigslist, this is also a local market but items must be given away. There are rules that state that if you take something for free, you may not resell it. Photos of items are optional, the response is very speedy, and within (sometimes) an hour, someone will be at your door ready to take your items. Some of my clients have cleared out entire houses (quickly) on freecycle and craigslist.
www.build.recycle.net: This is also a swap or sell or buy site geared specifically for building materials.
www.reconnstructioncenter.org: This is a local non-profit enterprise that accepts donations of building materials and resells them.
Whether you sell it or give it away, you will be keeping it out the landfills. Happy remodeling!
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Peggy Chirico, REALTOR®
Serving the Greater Hartford Area
Prudential CT Realty
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860-748-8900
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Great suggestions, Habitat for Humanity will also take some of your materials.
Peggy: Another great way to recycle. Someone's trash is almost always another's treasure. Our municipality has a Too Good to Waste area of the dump. Something like a sink would be pulled out and put there for consumers to take.
Thanks for the information. I've used Craigslist several times, never heard of the others, I'll check them out.
Thanks, Suzanne - I am going to check that out to see what we have here.
Chris - Nice to know what others are doing. Thanks.
Hi Peggy ~ Excellent post with great recommendations. I like the old stuff better myself. When I renovated one of the apartments in my multi-family I took the sink on legs for my own kitchen. And the big glass fronted cabinet above it was being ripped out of a place I used to work - after many years in storage I'm psyched to have the place to put it.
Liz
Peggy - As a former home builder I've often shopped at salvage yards or other places that recycle building materials. In my current home I have items purchased that way. Great for the environment and your budget.
Habitat for Humanity is a great place to recycle home building materials!
Great information and reminder that we have to look for better ways to dispose of old items.
Freecycle is a great one. I have posted things on freecycle for years.
I left a surprise for you in my blog this morning. Let me know when you find it. What? You thought I was going to tell you exactly where? Ha! This comment is a clue, though.
Hi Gary - I'm glad you like Freecycle too - it's awesome!
Hi Russel - I found the surprise! Thanks!
Peggy: Saw your mention over at Russel Ray's (Golden Oldies) this morning and thought I would drop by to read and comment on your mighty fine blog. We are big into recycling, infact Ceil can find a use for almost everything I want to throw away. Infact she just dug my throw away last year's license plates out of the trash and said she has a perfect use for them.
Have a nice weekend!
Carl and Ceil Winters Canyon Lake Texas
Russel sent me....I am having a yard sale and have one of my clients leftovers here...but what doesn't sell will be going to Habitat! I love Freecycle...I have given a lot a way on that site!
I also came from Russel’s Golden Oldies post. Out here people like to do remodeling on weekends and then, very late Sunday night or very early Sunday morning, they drive up and down the freeways throwing things out of their vehicles. Monday mornings the roads look like some Third World country.
Hi Carl and Cell - Thanks for stopping by! I too am big into recycling--I just hate at add any more to the land fill!
Hi Deborah - I think I have a garage's worth of stuff to get rid of. And since I don't do tag sales very well, giving it all away seems like the easiest thing to do.
Hi Jim - My blood boils when I see people tossing fast food bags out the window; I can't even think of all the stuff you are seeing on the freeways.
Check to see if you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore close by. I just wrote a post today about the kitchen cabinets I dropped off this week.
Hi Cindy - The closest one to me is in Cromwell which is about 20 miles away. Thanks for the suggestion to look. I definitely have some building materials I can donate!
I would think that if you hire someone to do significant renovation, a category into which I would put the sink, the renovators would be responsible for doing a complete job, which includes disposing of the old sink.
Hi Eric - That's true, but I am never sure what they do with the old sinks. I bet most of the time they toss them in the trash, which is not a good thing.