It makes sense to recycle an aluminum can.
It makes even more sense to recycle home building materials.
At the Kansas City Habitat for Humanity Restore, the recycling concept has been brought to new heights.
Located on Deramus Avenue in the East Bottoms area, the ReStore collects new and used building materials throughout the Kansas City area and sells those materials, saving customers as much as 70 percent from a typical home-improvement store price.
The 30,000 square-foot facility is operated by about 15 people and relies on two trucks to make daily pickups and deliveries.
To Steve Townsend, donation coordinator for ReStore, it all makes sense.
“We’re keeping stuff out of landfills,” he said. “It helps the environment in many ways.”
The nonprofit company, which works closely and regularly with Habitat for Humanity by supplying it with building materials for homes, accepts a variety of materials – usable materials that are left over from construction and/or renovated sites to items donated by a corporation.
The ReStore supplies enough usable building materials for the construction of about 15 Habitat for Humanity homes annually. In some cases, the homes, constructed for low-income families who qualify, are built using many new materials.
“But there is a lot of material used that comes from somewhere else,” Townsend said. “I went into one house, and the owner was getting rid of a stainless steel refrigerator that was 6 months old. It’s unbelievable what people throw away.”
In 2007, the ReStore kept an estimated 2,600 tons of materials from landfills. Since 2000, that amount is 10,738 tons of material.
In addition, by donating materials, contributors avoid hauling costs and receive a tax deduction. The proceeds from material sales are then used to fund Habitat for Humanity homes.
“Everyone wins,” Townsend said.
For more information, visit www.restorekc.org or call 231-6889.
