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Portland, Ore. — Created in the tradition of
successful online marketplaces such as eBay and Craig’s List, BoneyardNW (www.BoneyardNW.com)
is a website that provides a place for the selling and buying of usable
commercial construction materials that have been taken out of a building during
renovation or demolition. Currently, many of those materials—including valuable
items such as windows, doors, flooring and even soil—end up in the landfill.
About 20 percent of all waste created in the Portland area is construction
waste.
Given the high percentage of construction waste in the waste stream, Metro—the Portland-area regional government responsible for planning and other services—created BoneYardNW to help the construction and demolition industry increase the quantity of building materials that are recycled and reused. Metro is helping the region achieve a state-mandated recycling rate of 64 percent by 2009. Currently, the regional recycling rate stands at 59 percent.
The rise of green building in the Northwest has spurred a further interest in deconstruction and salvage as opposed to demolition and disposal of construction material. Deconstruction allows the building to be taken down in much the same way it was built, piece-by-piece, preserving the usable materials that can then be sold. The preservation and reuse of building materials is called salvage. One of the benefits of using salvaged materials is that they can help projects earn a certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED system.
Metro hopes to divert 10,000 tons of usable building materials from being thrown away through the use of BoneyardNW and other services available to building contractors, developers and others in the commercial building industry.
A recent study by Metro of recycling among construction and demolition contractors showed that some of them were recycling materials such as wood, metal and cardboard, but that construction companies often lacked current information about the opportunities for reuse, recycling and the sale and purchase of salvaged materials. Metro hopes to jumpstart more reuse of usable building materials with BoneyardNW. For more information, visit www.metro-region.org.
Given the high percentage of construction waste in the waste stream, Metro—the Portland-area regional government responsible for planning and other services—created BoneYardNW to help the construction and demolition industry increase the quantity of building materials that are recycled and reused. Metro is helping the region achieve a state-mandated recycling rate of 64 percent by 2009. Currently, the regional recycling rate stands at 59 percent.
The rise of green building in the Northwest has spurred a further interest in deconstruction and salvage as opposed to demolition and disposal of construction material. Deconstruction allows the building to be taken down in much the same way it was built, piece-by-piece, preserving the usable materials that can then be sold. The preservation and reuse of building materials is called salvage. One of the benefits of using salvaged materials is that they can help projects earn a certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED system.
Metro hopes to divert 10,000 tons of usable building materials from being thrown away through the use of BoneyardNW and other services available to building contractors, developers and others in the commercial building industry.
A recent study by Metro of recycling among construction and demolition contractors showed that some of them were recycling materials such as wood, metal and cardboard, but that construction companies often lacked current information about the opportunities for reuse, recycling and the sale and purchase of salvaged materials. Metro hopes to jumpstart more reuse of usable building materials with BoneyardNW. For more information, visit www.metro-region.org.
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