Through thoughtful design, PIVOT strives to reduce waste, reuse materials, and recycle as much as possible throughout the construction process. A group of PIVOTeers came together to research new methods to implement our sustainability goals into more PIVOT projects.

By some estimates, construction waste accounts for 4% of the total waste in the US with 22.8% ending up in landfills. That is an average of 273 tons of construction material going into landfills each year! We took a closer look at this waste and wanted to figure out how to reduce it through our material selections.

We discovered that a large portion (more than 4 billion pounds each year) of the construction waste in the United States is carpet. Most carpets are not biodegradable so we researched carpet producers that have recycling programs that PIVOT can utilize on our projects. Additional programs were found to help recycle more construction materials including; wood, glass, tile, flooring, and countertops.

Our team also looked into reducing waste with more conscious furniture selection. By taking into account what the furniture is made of, where it is being shipped from, and the quality/flexibility of the product, PIVOT can advise clients with ways to significantly reduce waste when choosing furniture. Furniture that is made with recyclable materials and is designed to be fixed rather than replaced can significantly lower the amount of replacements throughout the lifetime of the project.