Reducing waste by design should be your first option. Here are some specific tips for house building:

House Building

What’s better than recycling your building waste? How about using a building system that reduces waste on site to next to nothing! By using prefabricated plantation pine frames and trusses little or no waste is produced on-site so there’s nothing leftover to recycle.

Getting your measurements and resulting timber orders right will contribute to reducing timber waste and save you both time and money. At the factory - modern frame and truss manufacturers employ sophisticated computer programs to minimize off cuts and to help reuse all the smaller off cuts. Over 95% of timber is converted into frames and trusses.
Here are a few other tips to reduce timber waste and reuse or recycle any leftovers on-site:

1. Off cuts of roof battens can be re-used to further reinforce the roof.

2. Used timber pallets and packaging for bricks, tiles and other products should be returned to or picked up by your supplier for reuse or recycling.

3. For the little remaining timber waste – use the untreated timber it to make mulch for the garden or encourage your waste company to use one of the timber recycling facilities popping up around Australia.

Note: Termite resistant BluePine framing or other treated timber off cuts cannot be mulched, recycled or used to generate renewable energy in Western Australia so it should be kept separate from timber waste destined for recycling. Please dispose of BluePine and other treated timber off cuts in approved local landfills.