Construction Junction - Building Material Reuse

Recycling & Resources

Reusing

In addition to our own reuse store, Construction Junction offers drop off services for the reuse of bicycles, art/craft supplies, medical supplies, and tote bags.

Don't forget that REUSE IS THE GREENEST CHOICE YOU CAN MAKE so if an item is reusable, please try to find a new user first - Pittsburgh Freecycle or the free listing part of Craigslist, and thrift stores are good starting points for finding a new user for your item if it's something we can't accept.

Recycling

Construction Junction offers recycling services for freon appliances, non-freon appliances, scrap metal, e-waste, lightbulbs/ballasts (free CFL drop-off in-store), and batteries, and serves as a drop off station for the City of Pittsburgh's recycling program.  See recycling hours.

We regret that we are no longer able to accept many items for recycling, owing to the cost to Construction Junction. Please check out the links we've provided elsewhere on our website, to find other organizations that accept items for recycling or safe disposal.

Freon Appliances

• These include air conditioners, refrigerators, and dehumidifiers.
• Construction Junction will not pick up single freon appliances (unless the appliances are part of a kitchen set donation).
• You can drop them off at CJ during business hours. Drop-off fee is $10.00
• The freon is removed and not allowed to vent into the atmosphere, where it has been linked to ozone depletion.
• Once the freon is removed, your appliance will be recycled for the scrap metals.
• Your fee supports Construction Junction continuing to offer this service.

Non-Freon Appliances

• These include dishwashers, ovens, washing machines, dryers and stoves.
• Construction Junction will not pick up single non-freon appliances (unless the appliances are part of a kitchen set donation).
• You can drop off old appliances (working or not) at CJ any time during business hours
• If your appliance is not working, it will be scrapped. If it is working, it will go into our inventory, supporting Construction Junction’s mission.

Scrap Metal

• Any steel, iron, brass, copper, aluminum can be scrapped. We have a convenient scrap dumpster located in our parking lot. Please check with staff before putting anything in the scrap dumpster.
• Access to the scrap dumpster is free.
• If you have any old rusty metal cabinets, hardware, short pieces of steel studs, etc., bring them to Construction Junction and help us reduce our disposal costs and promote recycling

E-Waste 

Construction Junction collaborates with eLoop llc to offer FREE electronic waste (e-waste) recycling ONLY for the items listed below. We are delighted to announce that from June 1st, 2011 we are able to expand the list of acceptable items dropped off by RESIDENTIAL customers during our regular operating hours.

eLoop llc assures that materials are not exported or placed in a landfill by operating a complete recycling system that turns end of life electronics back into commodity grade materials like metal, glass and plastic.  Their goal is to prepare electronic materials for a second life in another form through the loop of activity that will keep our environment safe. Here's what you can recycle and the associated fees:

• Desk top and laptop computers -- FREE!
• TV / Monitor or LCD 15" and under -- FREE!
• TV / Monitor or LCD 16" to 19" -- FREE!
• TV / Monitor or LCD 20" to 390"-- FREE!
• CRT/LCD 40" or greater and Console TV (latter- in wood cabinet) -- FREE!
• Cell phones/PDAs/smart phones -- FREE!
•  All mixed electronics -- FREE!  Mixed electronics includes: printers, copiers, DVD players, fax machines, telephones, routers, switches, small appliances, remote controls, video recorders and digital cameras. 
• We DO NOT accept: floppy discs (CD/ DVD) and magnetic tapes (VHS/DLT/LTO) or universal waste  (lighting and batteries). Universal waste and media tapes can only be dropped at eLoop llc's Plum Warehouse, fees apply

Lightbulbs and Ballasts

Construction Junction collaborates with Scott Electric to recycle a variety of lightbulbs and ballasts, and with Duquesne Light's WattChoices program for free CFL recycling drop off.  Customers with lightbulbs, ballasts or batteries (see below), should come inside Construction Junction to pay for their items first.  If you wish to recycle ballasts, you must bring them inside to be weighed by the cashier.  Bulbs and ballasts can then be taken to our donation dock where a CJ staffperson will check your receipt and receive your materials.  Here are the items that you can recycle and the associated fees:

NO BROKEN OR COATED BULBS!

Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) --  FREE

Lightbulbs  --  $1 each

•  Fluorescent tubes 8' long or under
• Incandescant lightbulbs (includes halogen bulbs)
• Fluorescent "U" or circle lamps
• High Intensity Discharge bulbs, including High Pressure Sodium, Mercury Halide and Mercury Vapor

NO BROKEN OR COATED BULBS!

Ballasts-  $1 per pound, rounded up in half pound increments 

• Electronic ballasts
• Magnetic ballasts
• MUST NOT BE LEAKING!

Batteries

We recycle alkaline batteries for $.25 each.  The terminals of each battery must be taped (any tape will do).  Please pay for these at the cashier.  A CJ staffperson will then check your receipt and receive your materials.

Bicycles - Free Ride

Free Ride is not a traditional repair shop, where you drop off a bike and someone fixes it, but a bicycle educational facility.  There is that old saying “if you give a person a fish they will eat for one day but if you teach them how to fish they will eat for a lifetime.”  That is our basic philosophy at Free Ride!  We rent space from and are located in Construction Junction's building.

• Donations are what sustain our shop. 
• We are in constant need of quality bikes, parts, and tools as well as money to pay for things like rent, new tools, programs etc.
• Donations of used bicycles are accepted at Construction Junction. 

Art and Craft Supplies & Business Surplus - Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse takes materials: 1) that might ordinarily be discarded; 2) for which other good reuse outlets do not exist, and 3) that lend themselves to being reused in creative ways.  Please email "info at creativereusepittsburgh dot org" or call (412) 473-0100 to receive pre-approval for donations.

Donations should be delivered to the PCCR store, which is on Lexington Street next door to Construction Junction.  Materials accepted by Creative Reuse include:

• art and craft supplies
• office supplies
• fabric, yarn, trim, buttons and notions
• leftover promotional items
• overstock/surplus
• production mistakes/seconds
• design samples and sample books
• clean unprinted paper
• picture frames
• matte & poster board
• signs
• stickers & self-adhesives
• CDs and jewel cases
• spools
• containers
• cones and tubes
• partial rolls of wallpaper and other rolled materials
• magnets
• punch-outs

Materials not typically accepted include: clothes, housewares, household recycling such as food containers, cans, bottles.

Medical Supplies - Global Links

Global Links collaborates with U.S. hospitals, healthcare facilities, and the community to recover surplus medical materials that would otherwise be discarded due to changes in technology, vendors, or treatment regimens, or because of hospital regulations. Through these collaborations, Global Links keeps over 250 tons of medical materials out of landfills every year and donates them throughout the hemisphere to improve health in targeted programs.

Global Links accepts:

• Current-dated single-use supplies that have had no patient contact (syringes, gauze, suture, catheters,ambus, etc)
• Clinical & patient room furnishings
• Durable medical equipment (wheelchairs, crutches,canes, nebulizers, etc)
• Biomedical equipment in working order
• Hospital linens
• Surgical instruments

Global Links CANNOT accept:

• EXPIRED supplies or solutions
• Prescription medications
• Printer/toner cartridges, film
• Chemicals, reagents or hazardous waste
• Gases or gas tanks
• No exposed sharps
• Printed materials, forms, brochures, or paper
• BROKEN furnishings or instruments
• Experimental or recalled products
• Human tissue

Tote Bags - Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project
 

• Tote bags are collected in a bin near the front desk for distribution to the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank.

City Recycling Drop Off

Managed by the City of Pittsburgh and conveniently located in Construction Junction’s parking lot is a recycling drop off station. Please do NOT drop any building materials, trash or paint at the City Recycling Bins.   What can you drop off? **PLEASE NOTE: Drop-off is only available during CJ's regular hours of operation.**

• Glass
• Cans
• Plastics (numbers 1 - 5)
• Corrugated cardboard (please flatten your boxes before arrival) 
• Coated cardboard (please flatten your boxes before arrival)
• Magazines & Catalogs
• Paperboard (for example - cereal boxes)
• Junk Mail
• Phone Books
• Hardback Books
• White office paper
• Newspaper

Latex Paints

We are NO LONGER ABLE to accept donations of latex paint, owing to the cost to Construction Junction. Latex paint is NOT accepted at the recycling drop off station. Please do NOT drop any building materials or paint at the City Recycling Bins. 

Please see our "What We Accept" page for more information on material acceptance.

 Lightbulbs -- $1 each