Strike a Chord: Build it Green's Warehouses Give Salvaged Materials a Second Life

At the Build it Green NYC warehouse in Astoria, two employees move a large wooden frame. The door is ornate, one of hundreds stacked against a wall of the warehouse. It’s part of a real-life fantasyland for Do It Yourselfers full of things sheet goods, plexiglass, plywood, refrigerators and reclaimed lumber. 

Build it Green specializes in gathering and reselling salvaged materials. Excess lumber, doors, refrigerators, chairs, books, even toilets are donated by individuals and companies. Instead of a landfill they end up here, and are then either reworked in the mill or sold at discount rates.

"I kind of joke we’re Goodwill but for building materials," said Jaclyn Jablkowski, the communications director at Build it Green.

The sheer amount of those materials is massive, and only a fraction winds up in one of Build it Green’s warehouses. Every year 14 million tons of waste is disposed in New York City. Half of that comes from construction and demolition - materials like lumber, glass, and scrap metal. Thinking about reusing on this scale can seem daunting, but Jablkowski said it helps to think about it on a personal level first. 

"It’s when you’re changing your furniture or when you’re moving and what kind of materials you’re putting out on the curb. And thinking about what should I do rather than just throwing it away?" said Jablkowski. 

Build it Green’s answer? Bring it on over.