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Portland, Ore., Bans Demolitions to Cut Construction Waste
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The Portland, Ore., city council has passed a law banning the demolition of homes built on or before 1916. The law requires old homes to instead be deconstructed, allowing builders to salvage and reuse lumber and other materials.
Environmental Leader has the details:
The city expects the new deconstruction policy will divert 8 million pounds (4,000 tons) of materials for reuse annually.
The city council last winter adopted a resolution in support of the home demolition ban, and late last month reviewed the changes to the city code, KLCC reports. The council’s official vote happen yesterday. The new law will take effect Oct. 31 and the council may consider expanding the policy to cover more of its homes.
The mayor’s office told KLCC about 20 percent of Portland’s landfill waste comes from C&D material. In addition to reducing waste, deconstruction (instead of demolition) cuts air pollution and the release of toxics including lead and asbestos, which will help Portland meet its carbon reduction goals.
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