Renovating a good time to think recycle @ Don't throw away old wood, bricks, appliances and paint when renovating — these items can find new lives outside of local landfills Canadian homeowners collect cans, bottles and newspapers for their blue box recycling programs every week. But when they’re renovating, many don't even think about the tonnes of materials they're sending to the dump. They should.-It’s estimated that resi- dential renovation projects account for about one-eighth of all the waste going to landfill sites. Finding room for garbage is, a growing problem in Canada. Besides, a lot of ma- terial from renovations isn't really “garbage” — it’s a wasted resource. Sound lumber can be reused; the rest ground for pressboard or wood chips, or given away as firewood. Gypsum, alu- minum and paint can also be recycled. Masonry and concrete can be crushed in- to “gravel” for road building. Metals can be melted down and reused. Doors, win- dows, cabinets, shelving, appliances etc., can all be sold instead of being thrown out. Governments have begun to ban cer- tain recyclable materials from their hard- pressed landfills and increase the amount they charge people dumping wastes. So anything homeowners can do to di- vert these wastes has a double bonus; it helps save the environment, and it may even save a little money. Over the past year, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation home builders’ associations in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver and Ontario’s Environment Ministry have joined forces to study resi- dential construction waste. The result: some great suggestions any homeowner can use. 1) Information sources. * A handbook produced by CMHC, the Toronto Home Builders’ Association and « In home Consultations ¢ Designer Fabrics the ministry — although aimed at indus- try, it contains a lot of information and tips useful for homeowners. © Renovators and local home builder associations — new ideas are coming up all the time and this is how you can plug in. * Municipal public works departments — check for material bans at their land- fills and possible recyclers. 2) Hire a renovator who cares. Study after study shows that new ideas only work when everybody buys in. Ask how companies will handle wastes, and hire one that understands the issue. Then, put their creativity to work. With careful management, you should be able to divert a signif- icant amount of the waste from your renovation. Most materials come in several stan- dard sizes. Basing your plans mostly on those sizes means you'll have a lot less cut-off ends to get rid of. 4) Decide what's really garbage, and what isn’t. With careful management, you should be able to divert a significant amount of the waste from your renovation. If you are doing any demolition, walk around your home with your renovator. Mark items that could be salvaged for re- use, either by you or someone else: for ex- ample, toilets, sinks, tubs and fittings, cabinets, hardware, lighting, doors, win- dows, shelving, panelling, trim, bricks and lumber. Discuss how new materials will be treated, what will be done with excess supplies and packaging, how scraps will be used and what will be recycled. 5) Sell (or give away) what you don’t need. THBA organized a very successful — for custom window treatments * Bedspreads * Duvets coordinating cases, sheets and draperies ¢ Wallpaper * Wicker Furniture « Venetians * Pleated Shades Verticals “house strip" last year — a giant yard sale, where one couple sold 2.5 tonnes of good materials and fixtures before their house was gutted. It takes a little bit of extra time to remove things intact — and to publicize the sale — but it can be worth- while. For a smaller project, a Montreal com- pany sold kitchen cabinets in one day by showing a photograph on a local cable TV show. One Toronto renovator discovered his plumbing supply store would take any used bathroom fixtures. Charitable orga- nizations may appreciate donations. 6) Re-use whatever you can. Vancouver renovators found that work- ers who need small pieces of different ma- terials are much more likely to use cut off ends when scraps are kept in separated piles. One specialty hauler in Toronto carefully joins together short lengths of lumber to create full-length pieces he can reuse or resell. 7) Then recycle. In several large urban areas, special- ized recycling facilities already exist for wood, aluminum, gypsum board, card: board and paint. Landfills in many of those municipalities no longer accept re- cyclable materials. In other areas recy- cling may cost a little more than stan: waste disposal — separating materials and trucking small loads can be expen- sive. In most cases, recyclers accept ma- terials for free or charge you a small fee (much less than landfill dumping fees). Aluminum — in sufficient volume — can be worth some money. 8) Expect mess — but not chaos. Instead of one bulk waste bin on site, you may have five or six piles of separated materials for reuse or recycling. However, you and your renovator should insist the piles be kept neat, and covered to prevent "contamination". It can also be a good idea to tell neighbors what you are trying to accomplish, so they don't complain, or inadvertently ruin a whole load dropping their kitchen garbage in with the idomticum scraps. |» Window coverings » Wall: IN THE NELSON TRADING CO. DECOR LTD. ALICE HORNBY 104-402 Baker St. Nelson, B.C. 352-6223 CLEAN COTTON RAGS * Custom Draperies °\F * Custom Spreads * Ca ¢ In Home Consu pS see Oran Ree ee Proper cleaning prolongs life of wood finish @ Experts say dusting should always be done with a polish-moistened cloth. Dust is actually thousands of tiny, airborne particles of ber, earth and silica. The latter two are sharp and can scratch. Over time, they can cause tiny scratches in furni- ture that dull the finish if not correctly removed. AG. Soap is not an efficient cleaner for most types of soil that accumulate on furniture surfaces, nor will it remove the previous.coat of polish. It will also leave the piece dull ven if your dinner guests are just pulling into the driveway, don’t be tempted to lust. Always dust with a ish-moistened cloth. The polish cushions the cloth, eliminating the scratching that occurs when a dry cloth is used for dusting. A polish- moistened cloth picks up and holds the dust particles so they are not released back in- to the air to settle, once again, on the furniture. Featherdusters do not pick up dust; they just move it around. good choices. Avoid cloths made of coarse material, fabrics that are lin- ty, old clothing with snaps, , seams, buttons or button- holes that can scratch the fin- ish, and synthetic or perma- nent-press fabrics that do not. absorb moisture. Dust cloths should be laundered after every use, not placed over the furniture polish can for the next use. A soiled cloth can't clean and will redeposit dirt on furni- ture surfaces. . Never leave a damp cloth on a wood surface. Whether the cloth is damp with wtter, a solvent or any other liquid ( including furniture pollen), # be trapped under the cloth and cannot evaporate. Too much moisture indoors leads to trouble _ Moisture can be a problem in today’s better-insulated, more energy efficient homes. Increased tightness can lead to higher humidity levels, moisture problems and poor air quality. Moisture is continually re- leased inside a house by cook- ing, bathing, washing dishes and doing laundry, It also comes from house plants, uninsulated basement walls and humidifiers. When warm, moist air comes in contact with a colder surface, it releases its vapor as condensation — from 10 to 50 litres a day is produced by an average family of four. Over a 200-day heating season, that adds up to 2,000 to 10,000 litres of moisture. If you observe more than a slight condensation on your windows, need to take steps to réduce mdisture and increase ventilation. ‘That means first reducing production.of. moisture. Awoid... hanging wet laundry indoors. Don’t store or dry wood in- doors. Disconnect humidifiers. Don't leave lids off cooking pos Keep the basement dry y putting in a moisture barri- er and fixing water leaks. Next keep indoor surfaces warm to prevent condensa- tion. Install double or triple- glazed windows and ensure walls and ceilings are well in- sulated. The third step is to increase stall louvered doors. Leave room doors open. Keep blinds and drapes open in daytime. If moisture problems per- sist, you may have to call a ional to install aprop- Contracts prevent disputes One of the major reasons for disputes over including all work bei bcontracted, renovation work is the lack of acontract.The plumbing poe witing. This is an poonagat et best way to avoid this is to draw up an agree- many misunderstandings occur. It is extreme- ment describing the work to be done and what _ ly important to list all job specifications. poh y vhost at on aida poctsnne becomes a Jer _© Agreement on who is responsible for ob- c ms inding parties once they taining all necessary drawings, job permits, ___® Responsibility of the contractor for remov- ing debris as soon as renovations are complete. _* Astatement of the contractor's public lia- bility and property damage insurance. ° Firm starting and completion dates: * Price and terms of payment. No matter now serefolly the contract has been written, anges are ost certain to be m: your files and one for the contractor. the job is finished. These can be conte Pera According to the Canada Mortgage and protection of both parties, changes should nev- Housing Corporation publication, How toHire er be made without the written approval of the a Contractor, the contract should include: homeowner and a signed statement from the * Names and addresses of the buyer (you) contractor detailing extra charges. Do no ac- and the seller (the contractor). Make sure the cept verbal assurances. Get it in writing. firm you have been dealing with is the one. For more information on this subject, or for namned one yond on ea ae so: pram and oe of CMHC publications, pro- lescri: es of the ams i i work to be done and the materials to be used, local CMHC ¢ office. cecnnnenair neces IT’S ON NOW! 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