Not demolishing an old home — deconstructing it:
Clearing old buildings is a necessary part of redevelopment, but there is a better way. Now Minnesotans can recycle their old buildings instead of sending them to the dump. To create jobs, reduce project costs and reduce waste, homeowners and contractors can choose deconstruction, a greener kind of demolition. A deconstruction work crew safely removes reusable items like cabinets, countertops, appliances, windows, flooring, wood framing, and garage doors, which are then sold.
Then, as workers disassemble the rest of the structure into its component parts, the materials are sent off to be recycled into something new. Shingles become asphalt for new roads, wood scraps become composite board, and metal becomes new cans, or even cars. Most new construction and remodeling happens with old homes — which are especially valuable to recycle.
The revenue gained from materials sold, savings from landfill fees, the environmental tax benefit and the tax credit for the value of materials recycled combine to offset the additional cost of labor and then some. Deconstruction keeps a massive amount of garbage out of the landfills and supports living-wage green jobs for our community.