Salvaged building materials
Find second-hand, recycled and salvaged building materials in Australia.
Something like 40 per cent of waste in landfill comes from the building trade. That's bad for the environment because waste decomposing in landfill released methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
And much of that building waste is perfectly useable and could be recycled - saving the energy and resources needed to make new building materials. For instance it takes 70 per cent less energy to recycle steel than to make new steel from iron ore.
Recycled building materials from older houses are often of better quality than modern fittings, and can give your home a unique touch.
Recycled timber is the most sustainable way to get hardwood timber.
To find salvaged building materials, be prepared to hunt around your local salvage yards - what's available depends what has turned up in recent clearances. Expect to haggle but you can expect to get items for a third to a half less then buying new.