A northern Michigan nonprofit is changing the way houses are being built. Instead of unwanted or unused building materials being packed up and sent to a landfill, Bay Area Recycling for Charities is using them to help rebuild homes for those in need. “We’re trying to change the way people think about the building industry and constructing their new homes, and to repurposing and using materials that are recycled,” said BARC Deconstruction Manager Mark Dragovich.
Since 2008, BARC has worked with homeowners across northern Michigan to deconstruct their homes instead of demolishing them. According to the organization, 40% of what goes into landfills are construction materials. That’s about half of what is usually harvested through the timber industry to build a new home.
“It only makes sense to try to save some of those materials that are going to the landfill by reusing them,” said Dragovich. Deconstructing a home is roughly the same price as demolishing one, but it’s the materials needed that impact construction costs.
To read the full story, visit https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/how-a-nonprofit-is-keeping-unused-building-materials-out-of-landfills.
Author: Nicole Long, UpNorthLive ABC
Image: UpNorthLive ABC