Backyard Recycling

During a recent backyard renovation, I asked the general contractor what happens to the materials when they leave the home. I discovered that being eco-friendly is even easier than I once thought.

All of the natural wood and plant materials that are not in reusable condition are sent to an eco-center and used to create either mulch or compost. Plants that are in decent condition, just not conducive to the updated design, are taken back to the contractor's land to cure and are then used for screening on dog pens, garbage can areas, etc on other projects.

All cuts of stone or leftover paver stones like the ones above are sent to a separate plant where they are ground down into what is called "blend" which is used as a base material on roads before asphalt is laid.

In additional efforts to produce less waste during the project, we were able to reuse a large bush in a different area giving it a fresh new look in the yard. And the cuts made in the blue stone counter top made for great stepping stone slabs to access the hose area.