BRING Recycling has relaunched its program that gives a second life to plywood, sheet metal, and furniture heading to the landfill.
The Construction Materials Recovery Program is part of their new grant-funded “Demo to Design” initiative, which is aimed at refurbishing, upcycling, and deconstructing building materials that can be reused.
Iterations of the Construction Materials Recovery Program existed in the late 1990s. But after a few years of operation, the program was put on hiatus until 2017. In 2022, funding for the program was cut, and BRING was no longer able to offer the services.
“After that program got cut, we didn’t have as many materials in the store,” said Sonya Carlson, executive director of BRING. She said she would go to Glenwood Transfer station and watch truckloads of materials go into the dump.
“It’s heartbreaking because there are so many remarkable materials that go in there that I know can be reused. We said, ‘how can we reclaim those materials again?’”
Now, after receiving a $125,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, BRING has restored the program. The funds went towards two new trailers to hold debris, a Construction Materials Recovery Program coordinator, and a new 4x4 CNC machine.
With the recovery service, demolition and construction companies in Eugene can contact BRING when they are cultivating materials that would otherwise get thrown away.
BRING will send their coordinator to the site with one of their new trailers, where crews will pile up the material over the course of the job. Once the trailer is full, the BRING coordinator will bring the materials back to the workshop, where it will be reworked or put on sale in the BRING store.
Carlson said the recovered materials have been popular with contractors and those completing home remodeling projects. “It’s really affordable. It’s a fraction of the cost they would pay for brand new materials, because they’re reclaimed.”
So far, she’s seen lots of doors, tables, chairs, windows, shingles, and plywood brought in from sites.
“We want people to choose reuse first,” Carlson said. “If they can’t find [what they’re looking for] then sure, go buy it new. But come out here and check us out, see what we have to offer first.”
Contractors or property owners can schedule a materials recovery consultation with BRING’s Construction Materials Recovery Coordinator by visiting www.bringrecycling.org/materialsrecovery.
