How to Properly Dispose of Leftover Home Renovation Supplies
Whether you’ve completed a major home renovation or a small weekend project, chances are you’ve got leftover building materials left over. You may also have great tools or equipment that has served its purpose and you know you won’t need (or use) it again.
Oh, and those outdated closets in near-perfect condition that you ripped out and replaced with something more modern? For you, they may be junk, but for someone else, they are architectural salvation or valuable vintage.
Of course, not everything left over from a home renovation project can be reused, but a lot of it can and doesn’t need to take up landfill space. Also, it’s not necessarily all the stuff your city or garbage company would accept, especially large pieces or items containing hazardous chemicals.
Generally speaking, a lot will depend on where you live, what you’re getting rid of, and how much time and effort you’re willing to put in. With that in mind, here are a few ways to properly dispose of leftovers. building materials for the house.
What to do with the rest of the building material
It may not be as easy as dumping everything on the side of the road, but they get the job done without breaking the law and possibly helping other people.
Disposal of hazardous household waste
Before moving on to other options, let’s look at items you can’t throw away or give away – things like open containers of paint or solvents, electronics, and anything that contains lead paint or asbestos (which, ideally, you wouldn’t handle with you, but that’s another story.)
To dispose of them properly, you should contact your city or county sanitation department to find out what materials are considered hazardous and where members of the public can bring hazardous household waste. There may be a special facility open year-round, or certain dates during the year when you can drop off items at a specified location.
The same applies to larger bulk materials – your local sanitation department will have information on how and where to dispose of them.
Donate materials to a non-profit organization
Every non-profit organization that runs a secondhand or resale store has its own rules, including what items are accepted as donations, so always check before you toss your items outside the window and hit the road.
When it comes to building materials and architectural rescue,Habitat for Humanity ReStores are probably the best known. But it’s important to remember that each place operates as an independent entity and sets its own rules, so always check the specific place’s website or call ahead to find out what they accept.
If there is no ReStore in your area, there may be another non-profit architecture store, such as Building Value in Cincinnati (operated by Easterseals ), Construction Junction in Pittsburgh, Community Forklift in the DC metro area, and ScrapsKC in Kansas City.
Publish online
Between Facebook Marketplace, Nextdoor, and Craigslist , there are plenty of ways to let your neighbors know that you have something that is potentially valuable to them but you don’t need anymore. It’s up to you whether to give it away for free (in which case there are also your local groups that don’t buy anything) or sell it.