Building a Greener Future: Local Nonprofit Prevents Construction Waste in Landfills

We live on an island but many of us don’t think about where our wastes go. Out of sight out of mind, after all. But as our landfills fill and more are needed to absorb our wastes without impacting our water system (*Wahiawa is a site that’s being considered but many are concerned about the impact on water security since it is located over an aquifer), we need to become more aware of our decisions and how those decisions are impacting our health and well-being. Thankfully, one local non-profit aspires to keep as much construction and building materials out of our landfills.

Vanessa Ablola, Re-use Hawai’i’s marketing and communications manager, says their nonprofit organization created in 2006, promotes a circular economy or a system that keeps materials in circulation as long as possible. This is to mitigate some of the dangerous impacts that building and construction has on our environment. According to the World Green Building Council, a third of the world’s wastes come from buildings. Recycling isn’t enough to get to zero emissions. 

Instead of extracting new materials and trashing the old, Reuse Hawaii works to keep old items in circulation which goes far when buildings are being demolished and hotels are renovated every three to seven years. This has a multitude of benefits. It creates more sustainable jobs and provides opportunities to purchase and reuse windows, doors, and other rare and antique pieces at an affordable price. 

Ablola says this is one of the biggest ways to make an impact. Instead of the few minutes it takes to demolish a home, part of their paid service involves workers coming into deconstruct a building while salvaging materials that would otherwise end up in the landfill. 

Their greatest challenge is getting the funding necessary to run as a nonprofit organization while being the only one doing it in Hawaii. One strategy is to get government funding. This would help to pay their employees, keep rental costs down and create more waste diversion in general. Ablola says, “We operate on about 75-80% revenue and 20-25% funding from corporate sponsors and private donors. In order to scale and make more impact we need more funding and government support.” They are also building a workforce development training center to help those who have barriers to employments including kupuna, those on furlough, serving a sentence or had past problems with addiction. 

Besides donating and reusing materials, Ablola says there are small things you can do to help. Here are her recommendations:

7 Steps to Take

1. Know your choices have an impact on the earth. Think about where your stuff is going.
2. Live a simple, sustainable lifestyle.
3. Use a water bottle.
4. Donate instead of throwing away.
5. Follow them on Instagram @reusehawaii.
6. Sign up for their newsletter.
7. Visit their new store in Stadium Marketplace located at 4561 Salt Lake Boulevard. They are currently open Tuesday-Saturday 9-5pm. In March, they will be opening 7 days a week.