A tidy, re-seeded lot with trees is what remains after the deconstruction at 314 Pleasant Avenue.
In 2012, the District had the fortunate opportunity to purchase a property at 314 Pleasant Avenue in Oregon City. An excellent value at a great location, the property has the potential to serve the District and the community in a wide variety of ways. From the beginning, however, we knew the old house was not usable and would need to be removed, along with weeds, brush and some other structures.
When a building has reached the end of its useful life, it is typically removed through conventional demolition and hauled to a landfill. Sensing an opportunity to put our conservation district values into action, the District chose to work with a contractor who would utilize deconstruction practices at the property. This means that the contractor would be required to disassemble the structure in such a way that materials could be recovered and reused or recycled. Wood, concrete and other masonry, steel, and drywall are all items that can be removed and re-purposed, as can windows, doors, cabinets and fixtures.
Deconstruction on the property took place this November. We had hoped that a minimum of 75% of the materials from the deconstruction could by diverted from the landfill. In the end, we were delighted to discover that 400 yards of material, or 81.3% , had been salvaged for reuse or recycling!
The recovering of these materials reduces climate-changing gas emissions and slows the need for creating new landfills and incinerators. Items that can be reused help slow consumption of virgin resources which, in turn, helps preserve natural resources and protects our environment from the air, ground, and water pollution often associated with extraction and processing of raw materials.
