Portland — Last year, in an effort to increase recycling from commercial construction, Metro launched BoneyardNW (www.boneyardnw.com), a website for the buying and selling of usable commercial construction materials that have been taken out of a building during renovation or demolition. Created in the tradition of wildly successful online marketplaces like eBay and Craig’s List, Metro designed BoneyardNW to help the construction and demolition industry increase the quantity of building materials that are recycled and reused.

One of the site’s many users is Al Kackman of Elder Demolition, Incorporated. “I have listed items ranging from dimensional lumber to mechanical units and I believe this site is a brilliant creation,” Kackman said. In fact, Kackman testified to the Metro Council in support of the BoneyardNW project when the idea was in its infancy.

Another enthusiastic user of the site is Khara Hillis, a project manager for Konell Construction & Demolition. “I have posted items ranging from wood beams to HVAC units. The site is really easy to navigate and I have high hopes for its success,” Hillis said.

“With the rise of green building, we’ve seen increased interest in recycling and salvaging commercial building materials,” said Metro Council President David Bragdon. “One of the barriers has been the difficulty of connecting buyers and sellers — until now. BoneyardNW is a great innovation for the region, improving the way recycling is done and further solidifying our area as being ahead of the curve in the national commercial recycling effort.”

Through the use of BoneyardNW, Metro expects to divert 10,000 tons of usable building materials from landfills between 2007 and 2009 alone. Valuable materials, including windows, doors, flooring and even soil have found new homes after being posted on the site. To date, it is estimated that BoneyardNW has saved several hundred tons of usable materials from the landfill.

“Construction materials make up a larger percentage of the waste stream. BoneyardNW will jumpstart the reuse of usable building materials and help keep valuable construction and building materials out of our landfills,” Bragdon added.

For more information, visit www.boneyardnw.com.