3 Tips For A Renovation with Zero Waste Lifestyle
It’s fair to say that one issue that keeps pretty much everyone on one side is the matter of waste. From the most committed environmentalist to the non-engaged individual, nobody is happy to see more than the absolute minimum of materials going to landfill, put beyond use and taking up more space for no purpose. And if you’ve ever remodeled your home, you’ve probably winced at the amount of stuff that gets kicked up as a result. Stuff that could surely serve a purpose elsewhere.
A zero waste lifestyle is possible, and even if it proves to be beyond your means, there is a lot you can do to make sure the net result is a positive one. So below, we’ll go into some of the key things you can do next time you come to make over your home, and the benefits they can have both for you and for the planet.
Recycle and reuse within the home – or beyond
Remodeling a home does mean removing some things from their current place, but this doesn’t need to mean that they end up in landfill, or being collected by someone who will leave them in a warehouse for years. Take as an example the carpets that might have become that little bit tired in your common areas. There’s nothing to stop them being moved to a part of the house where they won’t immediately be seen – such as the loft, where they can be placed on the bare boards or used as extra insulation between the joists.
If you’re going for a low-effort renovation that is contained in just a few rooms, you can always offer the carpet for free on a site devoted to “freecycling“. They might be just what someone else needs.
Consider booking works in at the same time
When we remodel, we tend to focus on the aspects that we can do ourselves – it’s easy enough to repaint, hang shelves and other similar steps, after all. However, the minor upheaval of a renovation does allow some space for work that might have been needed for some time. At some time the pipes in your house are going to need to be redone, so now might be a good time for repiping your house with PEX pipes which are more flexible than the common copper pipes in use in most homes. They expand and contract with the conditions without weakening and avoid leaks, which means less wasted water and a more energy efficient home as a result.
Throw things out, but not too far
There’s always going to be something – or some things – exposed in a remodel which you are keen to get out of your house. However, just because they’re no use where they are, that doesn’t mean they’re no use at all. Before a kitchen renovation, old kitchen cupboards can be rehung in the garage. In the same line, an old bathtub can be the base for a raised bed in the garden where things like root veg and leafy greens can be grown. Anything that has lived its life in your home can be evaluated for outdoor use when the time comes to take it out of the indoors.
