Mehringer plans to turn demo debris into houses
BY PETER B. BRACE INDEPENDENT WRITER
Houses trucked to the Nantucket Landfill today could be recycled into the construction of new ones.

ROBBENCHLEY/The Independent "If deconstruction could replace residential demolition, the U.S. could generate enough recovered lumber and materials to build 120,000 new affordable houses every year (based on last year's averages)," said Mehringer.

That is the motivation behind Nantucketer Greg Mehringer's concept for the nonprofit organization he started last week.

With Nantucket RecycleWorks, Mehringer plans to divert the flow of reusable framing, windows, doors, flooring, appliances, bricks, fixtures, plumbing, furniture and many other building materials and accoutrements from buildings being demolished or renovated to islanders who can use them in their own projects.

Mehringer got his 501(c)(3) nonprofit status from the Internal Revenue Service last week and will solicit builders and contractors to contact him about their upcoming demolition and renovation projects.

He also envisions a proactive approach, to include regular trips to the Building Department and Historic District Commission offices to find such projects before any of their unwanted materials are hauled away.

The idea for Mehringer's approach to building came from his late wife Jessica's love of the Madaket Mall.

"My wife had been going over this idea for a couple years, and she always had been an addicted fan of the Take It Or Leave it," he said. "We talked about doing it out there for a while, but then she got sick, so we kind of put it on the back burner for a couple of years."

Mehringer also found inspiration in his great uncle's house on King Street in 'Sconset, into which his uncle put many different recycled parts he had harvested from other houses and buildings around the island. Likewise, Mehringer's kitchen cabinets, southern yellow pine flooring and downstairs framing all came from past renovation jobs he has done over the years.

Realizing the enormity of what goes into the landfill when a building is demolished - on average 127 tons from the demolition of a 2,000-squarefoot house - the fuel that can be saved by reducing trucking and processing, and the amount of people he can help with the construction of their new homes, Mehringer knew Nantucket was ready for this idea.

"When dismantled carefully, buildings can provide a significant amount of reusable materials," he said. "Careful demolition can serve as a source of affordable materials for the renovation of existing structures or the construction of new ones.

"For every three square feet of new deconstruction, enough lumber can be salvaged to build almost two square feet of new construction. At this rate, if deconstruction could replace residential demolition, the U.S. could generate enough recovered lumber/materials to build 120,000 new affordable houses every year (based on last year's averages)."

Mehringer is looking for land to receive, store and dole out the building materials he salvages. He wants to be actively reclaiming and operating by the first part of the summer.

"It's roughly the same concept [as the Take It Or Leave It]," said Mehringer. "I'd like to see it evolve into something like that - completely green - as far as some sort of take it or leave it pile, and try to keep it local first, and if I can't keep it local, take it

off to different places." I