New England Nonprofit Is Creating a Market for Repurposed Building Materials
EcoBuilding Bargains, a retail warehouse for reclaimed building materials in Springfield, Massachusetts, is helping homeowners cut costs and downsize their carbon footprints by offering secondhand building materials. The Center for EcoTechnology, an umbrella nonprofit encompassing EcoBuilding Bargains, boasts a 30,000-square-foot selling space, which is the largest warehouse of its kind in New England, according to The Christian Science Monitor.
With a wide assortment of unique materials and antique finds, EcoBuilding Bargains is making material reuse a more common practice in the surrounding area, eliminating waste and reducing costs for consumers.
Reusing building materials keeps them in circulation for longer – preventing new items from being made, reducing carbon use, and eliminating landfill waste. Reuse also creates multiple price points for higher quality goods, increasing accessibility. This cycle cuts costs for both consumers and the climate while innovating traditional use and discard practices.