8 Items to Donate When Renovating
From renovation trash to DIY treasure at the Habitat ReStore
We’re excited to share a fantastic article from the national Habitat for Humanity website that highlights the impact of donating home improvement materials to your local Habitat ReStore, including ours right here in McKinney, conveniently located at 2060 Couch Dr., just behind the Habitat offices. Funds raised from the sale of donated items help build homes, hope, and brighter futures for deserving families in Collin County.
Find a link to the original article below.
8 types of construction materials to donate
If anything is a constant in home improvement, it’s the trash. Home improvement projects tend to leave behind plenty of sawdust, screws and scraps of wood, not to mention surplus construction materials. Donating your renovation materials keeps functional items out of the landfills. Also, other renovators can buy your donated building materials they need for their projects. Donating is a win-win situation!
Generally, you can donate building materials that can be reused and are in good condition. Make sure that any small parts in multi-piece items like doorknobs, plumbing fixtures and lighting are kept together. Check for rust, sharp nails or broken boards. Donations that are clean and in good condition are easy to reuse, and many local organizations will help you recycle these items.
Refer to this list to determine what construction/renovation materials make great donations to the ReStore McKinney.
1. Sinks, toilets and bathtubs:
Donating bathroom fixtures is a great way to keep bulky items out of the landfill. If you’re donating a bathtub or sink, make sure that they are not stained and do not have chips in the porcelain. If you are remodeling an older bathroom, your vintage fixtures will be surprisingly popular at the local architectural salvage store.
2. Cabinets:
Remodeling a kitchen often means replacing kitchen cabinets. Luckily, construction waste recycling allows someone else to benefit from your old kitchen cabinets that may still have years of usefulness. Kitchen cabinets should be in good working order, so check that the drawer pulls work, and keep the doors and drawers together when you donate them.
3. Working appliances:
You can also donate used appliances like stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers* and washing machines. Appliance donations must be clean and in good working order. Many organizations will help these appliances find a new home, including Habitat for Humanity, home salvage shops and secondhand stores like The Salvation Army and Goodwill.
4. Doors and windows:
Both internal and external doors can be used by someone else. The most useful doors are clean and undamaged, so look for holes or alterations before donating. Sliding glass patio doors can also be donated. If you are donating sliding glass doors or windows, checking for cracks or holes in the glass is particularly important; these cracks might make the glass unstable and likely to break.
5. Lumber:
Wood from framing or home improvement projects can be easily recycled. Most organizations that accept donated lumber request that it come without exposed nails and screws because these can pose a safety hazard. Other concerns include wood with ripped or sharp edges and some types of treated wood. Salvage shops usually accept larger pieces of wood, including two-by-fours and plywood. A local woodworking class might appreciate smaller pieces of wood.
6. Tiles and wood flooring:
Many salvage yards will recycle wood flooring that is in good condition. Look for clean, undamaged wood flooring with no visible nails and screws. They will also recycle extra boxes of tiles from a home improvement project. Not all types of flooring are recyclable, so talk to your local salvage shop before donating.
7. Lighting:
You can recycle light fixtures through salvage shops or other community organizations. Renovation salvage shops often have a high demand for working light fixtures, and many community organizations use donated light fixtures when rehabilitating low-income homes. You can also donate light switches, switch covers and wiring to cut your construction waste down even more.
8. Door handles and cabinet knobs:
Many people replace door handles and cabinet knobs to update a room’s appearance. Cabinet hardware is often still in good condition and can be donated to a local salvage shop. Door handles will be most useful when all the parts are kept together, so put all of the pieces in a bag before donating.
Please Consider Donating Your Usable Discarded Renovation Supplies
Your donations help fund Habitat for Humanity’s mission to build affordable housing while also reducing waste by giving items a second life. Donating is easy—simply drop off items at our McKinney locations or schedule a pickup for larger donations. Your contributions make a direct impact on families in need and promote a more sustainable community.
If you have any questions about donating items before dropping them off, call the McKinney ReStore at 972-548-9112 during our regular business hours - Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
You can read the original article on the national Habitat website.