Sustainable Demolition - Donating Furnishings and Building Materials (Reduce Waste AND Save on Taxes!)

Posted by: Rate It Green Team

As Matt Hoots of Sawhorse Inc. reminds us, part of green building is wasting less.  There are quite a few ways to reduce waste, but among the simpler methods are throwing fewer items into landfills in the first place, and reusing items that have meaningful life left to them.  One person’s trash really can be another’s treasure, so it certainly seems to make sense to give items to someone else that are no longer useful for one building another use and life if they can be helpful.  This is one of the ways in which green building is just smart building and common sense.  

For the #1920sMakeoverATL Showcase House, items planned for reuse include:

• A living room fireplace
• French doors
• Kitchen cabinetry and counters (only a few years old)

Matt worked with Nate Johnson at the nonoprofit Lifecycle Building Center to get these furnishings and more to new homes. Nate explained in the video that his team will try to match the items with local nonprofits in need, organizations that might be working on their spaces.  If there isn’t a match, the items will go to the Lifecycle Building Center where they will be sold "super cheap" to people who need low cost building materials.  This is a win-win as the people who receive the materials receive great items at a low price, and the items are keet out of the landfills.

Matt also reminds us that donations are a tax write off! 

Click to learn more about Lifecycle Building Center. 

Nate mentions that their Newsletter is a great way to see what’s currently in the warehouse. 

Want to help out? The Lifecycle Building Center has a capital campaign to renovate their 100 year old, 70,000 square foot warehouse.  

Do you have a nonprofit, school, community organization, or house of faith that might be in need of building materials? Check out LBC’s Material MATCH program!