Client: Metro, OR

Recycling or salvaging used goods avoids greenhouse gas emissions by minimizing the need for the production of new materials. In Spring 2009, Metro began a pilot project in which building materials were salvaged from a transfer station to be sold for reuse. The project lead, Lovett Deconstruction, salvaged reusable building materials from loads over a period of six weeks. In order to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions avoided as a result of the project, Cascadia used data on the salvaged materials to estimate the avoided emissions from landfilling and reducing the need for virgin materials. The information that we provided supplemented other project outcomes including tons diverted from the landfill and the resale value of key materials.