Reclaimed Materials
Search Attribute Abbreviation = RM. Using reclaimed materials is the ultimate sustainable option in most cases. Salvaging materials that would otherwise be destined for a landfill and instead extending their lifecycle conserves raw materials, cuts pollution and reduces energy use. However, careful consideration must be given to ensure that reclaimed materials are the best option for your needs. Reusing items such as old windows, fixtures and equipment may introduce inefficiencies into your project that could actually outweigh the benefits of reuse.
Note that regarding wood materials, the words “reclaimed” and “recycled” are often used interchangeably within the industry. Whenever products or materials that are made from reclaimed or salvaged wood are listed on mr.greenpoints, they will be categorized under both Reclaimed Material (RM) and Recycled Content (RC) attributes so that members can find them despite the interchangeability of these terms. In the event that reclaimed/recycled wood products are also certified, they will also be categorized under the Certified Wood (CW) attribute. See About Certified Wood for more information. Check with your building rating system to determine how to classify this material in your documentation.
Some products listed on mr.greenpoints are constructed with reclaimed wood from trees salvaged from urban settings. In some cases these trees are dead-standing, killed by disease or insects. In other cases trees just had the misfortune of being in the way of someone’s project. These products may or may not qualify as reclaimed or salvaged in any green building rating systems, but mr.greenpoints will list them because the practice of keeping this old-growth material in use is a good one. In a sense these trees have given their life so that another one somewhere can remain standing. So support the use of these products!
The increasing use of reclaimed and salvaged materials can in turn help increase the practice of deconstruction, where buildings are systematically dismantled at the end of their useful life instead of being demolished and landfilled.
The Deconstruction Institute estimates that for every 3 feet of house that is deconstructed, 1 foot of new house can be constructed with the reused lumber. Carrying this idea further, if all demolition could be converted to deconstruction, 125,000 new homes could be constructed with recycled lumber each year. There is great promise for deconstruction to increase, conserving resources and at the same time creating jobs.
