Instead of mindlessly tossing all my job-site waste into a Dumpster, I sort it daily and stack usable remnants in a neat pile along the road in front of a “Free” sign. Nearly everything goes within a day—2x cutoffs, scraps of sheathing, pieces of drywall, pallets. I’ve gone so far as to put out old windows, plumbing and electrical fixtures, pipes, and wire; around Christmastime, even trimmings from evergreen trees get snapped up. Even on sizable building and remodeling jobs, after I recycle paper, plastics, metals, and cardboard product packaging, there’s so little rubbish left that I can usually fit it all in one small pickup load.
—Mike Guertin, East Greenwich, RI
Edited by Charles Miller
From Fine Homebuilding #236
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I've had people come by and ask if they can have scrap wood, pop cans and metal, but I don't put my garbage out, because there are some many homeless and drug users around, I don't want to invite more and/or theft.
Great job! I wish more builders would make the effort to recycle building waste. In my area I find the 2x scraps go very quickly as kindling for people with wood stoves, fireplaces and campfires.
"Free is good, and more is better"