Save money, help the environment, and throw in the kitchen sink, too.

By Megan Martin
February 19, 2008

MESA- There can be more “green” to your home remodel than just the money being spent. Through salvage companies like Stardust, remodeling can be economical and environmental.
Possible because of donations from private homeowners, contractors, and businesses, items and materials which would have landed in a landfill have a second chance.
“Tile, wood, furniture, refrigerators, lighting,” said Todd Stingley, executive director of the Stardust Foundation, “there’s a lot of everything.”
Compiled into 40,000 sq. ft. worth of warehouses, one in Phoenix and another in Mesa, you can find the aisles jam-packed with new and used items.
The donated items, most of which come from homes undergoing remodeling, are categorized and priced, and available for purchase by the public.
“All of the items are priced between 50-80% below retail value,” said Stingley.
While this is all beneficial to the pocketbook, Stardust also provides a service to the environment. Stardust estimates that 600 to 700 tons of material makes its way into their warehouses every year, all of which would have been taken to a landfill.
According to estimates provided by the City of Phoenix Solid-Waste Disposal Management, only one-percent of the solid waste in city landfills is considered to be that of construction origins.
While low, these numbers only reflect the waste which was submitted from residential projects and not large-scale remodels or from businesses.
Private companies, like Weinberger Waste Disposal, operate their own private landfills, which accommodates waste produced by commercial companies and large-scale projects.
While Weinberger participates in recycling programs for its metals and cardboard, “the amount in the landfills is almost immeasurable,” said Glenn Weinberger, president and owner of Weinberger Waste Disposal.
According to its website, one of Weinberger’s landfills is receiving approximately 500 tons of waste per day. Weinberger’s primary waste services are provided to construction sites.
Stardust is also the recipient of what cities consider to be “hazardous wastes,” including paints and appliances such as refrigerators. Items which can be difficult for residents to throw away can instead be donated-- cans of paint can be available for as low as $5, while a refrigerator can be found for as low as $50, according to Stardust’s website.
The desire to provide low-cost materials to the public is continued in one of Stardust’s charitable organizations, Angels on Call. Profits from the two warehouses help to provide free-of-charge home repairs to low-income homes, which are in need safety, security or "quality of life" repairs.
“We’ve been able to help about 750 homes in our communities since 2000. We hope to help 200 homes each year from now on,” said Stingley.