Urban sustainability

By Marco Industries. 

Understand the move towards deconstructing, not demolishing, for a greener cityscape. 

Cities across the U.S., from the historic docks of Baltimore to the neighborhoods of Portland, are starting to write new rules for old buildings. Instead of tearing them down, they're choosing to carefully dismantle them, with the goal of reusing and recycling building components. This initiative aligns with our sustainable vision here at Marco Industries, as we’ve been incorporating recycled content into our products for years. 

In just the U.S., landfills receive about 150 million tons of waste from building demolitions every year. When we look at the global scale, the construction and deconstruction industries are responsible for consuming a significant portion of our natural resources and generating nearly one-third of the world’s waste. Cities like San Antonio have taken the lead by enforcing deconstruction regulations as of last January, joining other environmentally conscious cities like Milwaukee, Boise and Portland. This trend is sparking a broader debate on sustainability in urban development, with discussions unfolding in Baltimore and cities alike. 

Experts agree that there are still challenges to overcome. One example: requirements often don’t differentiate between reuse — the ideal form of waste diversion — and recycling. For instance, if lumber isn’t sorted and stored so it can later be picked up and incorporated into a new project, it might instead be sent through a chipper and processed into particleboard. 

At Marco, we like the idea of reuse. And we’ve long believed in the benefits of recycling and the good it can do for the environment. That’s why you’ll find recycled materials in many of the products offered in the Marco Weather-Tite™ System, including: 

• LP2 Ridge Vent  

• FlexPro™ Profile Venting Material  

• Flex-O-Vent™ Universal Venting Material  

• Python™ Single-Layer Vent  

• Python™ Weather-Tite™ Rolled Ridge Vent  

• Standard RoofBoot™ Square Flexible Sleeve  

• Box Gutter Expansion Joint  

• RE2® Polyethylene Foam Spacer System 

While there is a long way still to go, we’ve come a long way and done some good in our industry. The deconstruction sector now employs approximately 14,500 people and keeps about 350,000 tons out of landfills annually. Still, that accounts for just 0.2% of total U.S. construction and demolition waste. But with it becoming a profitable venture — revenue from deconstruction and reuse has tripled since 2008, to around $1.4 billion in 2022 — deconstruction is sure to become more and more acceptable as a standard practice. 

As for recycling, only between 5% to 15% of materials in a typical home cannot be reused or recycled. That’s a lot of opportunity. And at Marco, we’re doing our part with the products listed above — making a better product and a better planet all at once. 

Original article source: Marco Industries.