If you’re thinking of renovating or building, you could save money and end up with a better result if you reuse and recycle.

According to the yourenergysavings.gov.au, around 35 per cent (or seven million tonnes) of building waste goes to landfill each year in Australia. That’s on top of the waste and pollution created from manufacturing new building materials.

During the demolition of your home, everything except asbestos can be recycled, according to Ross Goninan from The Recyclers in Warnervale.

“Even gyprock can be recycled as it gets used in products in the rural industry such as fertilisers,” he said. 

And no job is too small to implement a recycling plan. “Anything that can be reused is worth recycling, but care needs to be taken to remove them,” Mr Goninan said. 

“We’ll work with you so we can help minimise your environmental footprint and reduce the waste disposal cost through our construction and building materials recycling and disposal process.”

Too many people see old materials in a building as rubbish or damaged, and thus worthless, but Mr Goninan said that, for example, hardwood is stronger the older it is and has more character.

“Recycled materials can add value to your house because they can be cheaper, the quality can be better and it can match existing materials.

“The used hardwood products and roof tiles provide special character to your project. The differences in texture, grain quality, and colour tones add variety and more authenticity.

“We offer only high quality recycled reclaimed timber products and other construction essentials. The materials we keep are useful for resale, and are processed for future use. We ensure they are as durable and as strong as new products,” he said. 

Many local councils ask how you plan to recycle waste material before giving approval for a development, but remember to think about using recycled products when building as well. Among the timber, tiles, windows, baths, fireplaces and many other items at The Recyclers, you’re bound to find what you need.