LEED/TEP: Recycle and Reuse

We chose to recycle and reuse 90% of the materials in the old home. Of the new construction, only 12% of the material could be waste material to earn the maximum number of LEED points in that category. The total effort to accomplish this involved a number of players, not the least of whom were Gary and Debbie playing the role of "dumpster divers." The concrete from the house and pool were taken by Pima Mine for use as aggregate. The existing swimming pool was taken out to the depth of 3 feet, with the concrete and rebar taken for recycling. The remainder was left in the ground and filled, and holes were punched in the bottom for drainage. The old pool is now under the new house. All fixtures, doors and windows were donated to Habitat for Humanity. Some diseased trees on the property were used for firewood or mulch in the "green" berm area and Gary hopes to get a chipper Shredder to mulch these. All plastic was recycled - often because of an extra effort by the Imuses. "After the subcontractors would leave, Debbie and I would go dumpster diving to make sure anything that could be recycled, was recycled," Gary says with a chuckle. "We would take out any plastic or wood and make sure it went to the proper place."

The property includes about 50 Palo Verde trees and seven or eight mature mesquite trees. When the new pool was built east of the house, there were 8 trees that were transplanted. Palo Verde trees are temperamental and the process took about 4 months. "Transplanting those trees opened up the views of Pusch Ridge and the mountains that were partially blocked before," Gary notes. "Those views are one of the reasons we bought the house originally, so that all worked out well."

Great care was taken to reuse or recycle all material from the deconstructed house. Research to ensure that all new building materials chosen were to be eco-friendly and minimize the new home's footprint on the environment (Less Impact).