Building Material Reuse Study
An initiative to provide building owners with free technical assistance, reduce construction and demolition waste, achieve Boston's sustainability goals.
The City of Boston's Building Material Reuse Study, conducted in partnership with Boston Building Resources, is a research initiative to help reduce building demolition waste, provide builders with high-quality reused construction materials, and help Boston achieve its carbon neutrality and zero waste goals. Through this initiative, the City is studying the materials from local building demolition and renovation projects that can be reused, as well as mapping out the regional reuse ecosystem. The findings will be used to shape City policy and provide local builders with free resources for reusing materials in their demolition and renovation projects. Do you have a property scheduled for demolition or a significant renovation? Sign up to participate in this study!
The Issue: Construction Waste
The Issue
Landfill Waste
Boston produces an estimated 640,000 tons of construction and demolition waste each year, sending the equivalent of 26,000 dump trucks worth of reusable and recyclable materials to the landfill—a line of vehicles that would stretch from Boston to Portland, Maine. Nearby landfills are reaching capacity and will not have room for construction waste in the coming years.
Carbon Emissions
By reusing construction materials, Boston can reduce its carbon emissions by using fewer new materials that require a lot of energy to produce and ship here.
Circular Economy
Building our local circular economy means more jobs for Boston. Reuse and refurbishment industries create up to 300 jobs for every 10,000 tons of waste, whereas the traditional landfilling and incineration industries create only one to six jobs.
Benefits of Study Participation
Participants in the study will:
- Receive free technical assistance from Boston Building Resources, including an inventory of reusable materials and a material management plan.
- Be eligible for tax deductions upon successfully donating recovered building materials from their demolition sites.
- Contribute to Boston's waste reduction efforts and help the City develop data, tools and guides to support the construction industry with best practices for building deconstruction.
Study Outcomes
Through the end of 2026, the City of Boston will collect data on over 20 demolition and renovation sites to accurately represent projects and reusable material availability across Boston. This will help the City develop data, tools and guides to support the construction industry with waste diversion and best practices for building deconstruction. A study report and policy recommendations will be published in early 2027.
Mayor Michelle Wu
“Boston is a hub for innovation, and we’re always looking for new ways to advance our climate and waste reduction goals. Reusing building materials can help grow our local workforce while building a more sustainable and resilient city for all.”
Brian Swett, Chief Climate Officer
“Reusing construction materials is a win for our communities and our planet. Leveraging the high-quality building materials found in Boston’s historic buildings allows new construction to preserve our neighborhoods’ unique character. Boston can lower our waste and carbon footprint, especially by reducing our dependence on long-distance waste shipping and new, carbon-intensive construction materials.”
Andrew Thompson, Executive Director of Boston Building Resources
"Boston Building Resources is proud to work with the City of Boston on this exciting program. For over 30 years, we've done the work of harvesting building materials and making them available to our community through our Reuse Center in Roxbury Crossing. Every day, we see how a circular economy for building materials provides sustainable and affordable solutions that uplift our neighbors. We're thrilled to see the City take initiative in this area and are excited to get started."
Additional Resources
Building Material Reuse Technical Assistance
Thanks to a partnership with RecyclingWorksMA, free technical assistance is available for any project not participating in the City's study.
Zero Waste Boston
In 2019, the City of Boston adopted a Zero Waste Plan with a goal to reduce trash disposal more than 70% by 2035.
Boston's Climate Action Plan
Boston’s draft Climate Action Plan identifies building material reuse as a key waste reduction and carbon emissions mitigation strategy.
