Construction and building material, from doors, electrical fixtures and equipment, to lighting, lumber, metal, plumbing, plywood, sinks and showers, accounts for 38% of the waste stream in the Houston area. The Building Materials Reuse Warehouse benefits the community by providing space for excess building materials that would otherwise be dumped in local landfills. It has sparked a reuse community across Houston and helped to divert 3,000 tons of material from landfills. Houston’s Reuse Warehouse is an exemplary implementation of a community programme that incentivises not just material reuse but also community engagement to exchange ideas and projects for increased sustainability in construction projects.

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste can represent a major contributor to a city’s waste stream, particularly in rapidly growing cities. It can often be difficult to use that waste despite it being well-suited for reuse, because there is a lack of infrastructure to store and share those items. Profit-oriented organisations are not likely to develop this infrastructure due to high cost and competition from large-scale suppliers of new materials. However, developing simple programs that make it easy for generators to participate in the reuse of C&D materials is essential to avoid these materials from getting mixed with general waste and subsequently becoming more difficult to recycle or reuse.

The city of Houston has decided to step in and create a recycling and reuse infrastructure for construction & demolition waste itself. The Houston Building Materials Reuse Warehouse accepts the waste from demolition projects in the city and stores it. Non-profit organisations can freely access all the materials in the warehouse, promoting the reuse of those materials. Coupled with the warehouse is a community centre that promotes awareness and knowledge-sharing among users of the warehouse.