In his Jan. 9 letter in the Daily Mining Gazette, “Disappointed by demolition,” Allan Baker makes a good point: where possible, we should strive to repurpose rather than landfill materials from demolition projects.

This basic approach is called “deconstruction,” which the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) describes on its “Solid Waste Programs” webpage:

“When houses fall into foreclosure and cannot be saved or renovated, Land Banks often turn to demolition to help clean up eyesores and open up property to interested buyers. However, a new movement is beginning to help salvage some of those materials for recycling and reuse. It’s called deconstruction.”

To watch EGLE’s 3.5-minute video on deconstruction, visit EGLE’s “Solid Waste Programs” webpage or search YouTube for “An Alternative to Waste – A Deconstruction Story.”

For more on this approach, see, for example, the U.S. EPA webpage “Disposal Alternatives: Deconstruction, Reuse and Recycling.”

The City of Houghton has taken this approach, in full or in part, with several recent projects. For example, with the demolition of the Lakeshore Drive parking deck, steel, concrete, and asphalt were all recycled or repurposed.

And during the July 27, 2021 Planning Commission meeting, a citizen who had previously checked with Copper Country Habitat for Humanity Director of Operations Brian VanSickle, asked if the owner of several houses scheduled for demolition would consider allowing Habitat to remove historic trim, lights, flooring, etc. before demolition, noting that developers might get both a tax deduction and lower landfill tipping fees as a consequence.

Owner representative and architect Barry Polzin responded that his client would be willing to do so. As a consequence, Habitat removed five truck-loads of materials from these houses, including extensive antique trim, bannisters, windows, railing, doors, kitchen cabinets, stoves, sinks, and refrigerators. This helps not only with landfill issues, but also, via Habitat programs, with affordable housing and with preservation of at least some historic materials.

Opportunities such as this require vigilance not only by the City Council, but by all of us.

Craig Waddell

Houghton