 Many environmentally conscious homeowners might find themselves searching for the best way to renovate or add to their homes and find a wealth of information. Green renovations are easier now than ever before, especially with the multitude of sustainable, eco-friendly floors, sinks, appliances, paints, wallpapers, and carpets.
If you’ve ever remodeled, you know the entire neighborhood is talking about it. Most likely, a large (like, the size of two cars) garbage container sat in your driveway or front yard. One of the fundamental facts about remodeling a home is that before you can add the new, cool, green stuff, the old stuff has to go.
Before you chuck everything into that giant garbage container, think twice about what’s going in there. Most of the stuff that could be called trash can be reused, recycled, or even sold. Many facilities recycle sheetrock and other gypsum waste, and some even offer incentives to do so.
Most of the wood you take out of your home can be put to use as well, even if it’s old, rotten, warped, or moldy. One of the greatest eco-friendly building materials is reclaimed wood flooring. Reclaimed wood floors are made from old wood, whether it’s an old two-by-four, an old structural beam, or a piece of wood that used to resemble a wall frame. Companies that transform reclaimed wood into a finished, beautiful product will gladly buy your old wood.
Your sink might be awful, and you probably want to throw it into the garbage container more than you want to take a break from your chaotic renovation. Old porcelain and ceramic sinks though can really pay off. One person’s trash is another’s treasure. An old sink, especially if it was produced before the 1950s, can get you a fairly large chunk of change.
Before you install your brand new, Energy Star, energy-efficient refrigerator, look into local refrigerator recycling programs. Most cities will have one (if not more) of these programs. Usually, the program will pay you a bit of cash (around $50) for your old refrigerator, and they’ll even pick it up. These programs then recycle about 98% of the materials of the fridge, keeping it out of landfills.
Don’t be so hasty in chucking your old toilets, either. Many city recycling centers recycle toilets. Call your city’s solid waste service provider and ask if toilets brought to the dump will be recycled, which could save you a trip to a recycling center. If neither program exists in your area, consider using the toilet as a planter. It might seem funny, but with millions (yes, millions) of toilets being replaced each year, it’s not a bad idea. Your toilet planter (or, Potty-o-Gardener, as many are calling it) could be as simple as a bit of soil and a few seeds, or you could turn the occasion into a family craft project, painting it or adding decorations. It’s silly, yes, but very, very eco-friendly.
Practically everything that could go into that giant garbage container can be recycled or reused. You’ll keep tons of trash out of landfills and lighten your load on the planet.
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