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Save Useful Materials from the Landfill

Deconstruction

The EPA estimated that around  opens in a new window600 million tons of construction and demolition materials were thrown away in the U.S. in 2018. These discarded materials come from building demolitions and renovations and their total weight is  opens in a new windowmore than double that of all other yearly U.S. municipal solid waste. A great way to divert this waste from landfills and give salvageable materials a second life is through deconstruction.

Deconstruction is the process of taking a building apart, piece by piece, and salvaging appliances and materials instead of demolishing it. Up to  opens in a new window70% of materials can be recycledopens PDF file , and up to  opens in a new window25% of materials can be reusedopens PDF file  in a home deconstruction. This can be done in two ways: a soft strip or a full deconstruction.

Benefits of Deconstruction:

Deconstruction is a cost competitive alternative to conventional building demolition. By reusing building materials, many environmental and social benefits can be realized, including: 

  • Reducing the consumption of new resources
  • Creating value-added market from waste materials
  • Minimizing landfill waste and pollution
  • Expanding job opportunities and workforce development skills

Helpful Resources:

Spread the word about deconstruction! Share these graphics to your social media pages.

Deconstruction Graphic 1
Deconstruction Graphic 2

RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts

opens in a new windowRecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is a recycling assistance program is designed to help businesses and institutions maximize recycling, reuse, and composting opportunities.

The Center for EcoTechnology has partnered with MassDEP to administer this program and the following services:

CONTACT US about RecyclingWorks MA:
Call: (888) 254-5525opens phone dialer   Email:  info@recyclingworksma.com

EcoBuilding Bargains

opens in a new windowEcoBuilding Bargains is the largest used building materials store in New England! Donate items to us to keep them from the landfill.

CONTACT US about EcoBuilding Bargains
Call: (413) 788-6900opens phone dialer   Email:  ecobuildingbargains@cetonline.org