1000 Flowers for the Planet - #302 Encourage House Deconstruction
In our endeavours to recycle in the home, and
sometimes at the office, it’s surprising that we haven’t really taken the
recycling idea as far as we possibly can. Salvage yards have been around for
such a long time, and they make fascinating places where we can potter in
amongst the old and not so old to make discoveries of wonderful building
features from days gone by that we can incorporate into our modern world.
The idea of deconstructing a house before
constructing a new one on the same piece of land should surely be one that
could turn into a profitable business. I saw it happen on an American
television program whereby the house was pulled apart slowly, piece by piece:
light fittings, light switches, floorboards, cabinets – everything you could
think of. The items were then taken to a large warehouse where they were
displayed in sections – bathroom, kitchen, doors, windows etc. – and sold. This
makes such a lot of sense. It does mean that removing an old building becomes a
slower task than if you simply take to it with a wrecking ball, but the
benefits are multiple. The building could be sold to a deconstruction company
who makes their money by selling on second-hand building materials and
fittings. The owner makes a bit of money in selling the building for recycling.
Most importantly, the planet benefits immensely when resources are reused, less
landfill is created and people value what they already have.
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