There are several ways to keep your home trendy while minimizing your carbon footprint. Thankfully, research has shown that home upgrades can dramatically reduce embodied carbon, which is the carbon that’s released during various stages of a home’s construction process. That means, regardless of how much your home contributes to emissions, you can significantly decrease your footprint with the right upgrades, and few are more effective than using recycled materials. So, if you want to make your home remodel more sustainable, consider incorporating the following recycled materials.

1. Use recycled or reclaimed wood for doors

Wall and a brown wooden door - ways to use recycled materials in your home — Credit: pexels.

Installing new doors can bring together the overall feel of your remodeled home. However, instead of paying good money for already-made, brand-new doors, consider looking into doors made with salvaged or recycled wood. It’s easier to find these types of wood than you think, with several great places where you can look. For example, construction sites and local farms are great sources of free, reclaimed wood. But you’ll have to do a lot of work on them to improve their aesthetics. Alternatively, you can purchase recycled wood from various online platforms.

2. Choose window frames made from sustainable materials

Not many will consider it a great idea to use reclaimed wood for their exterior windows, fearing it could dent their insulation quality. But it’s possible to find reclaimed windows of the best quality that you can use for your home remodel. You can also choose window frames made of other sustainable and recycled materials. Perfect examples include frames made with uPVC, aluminum, or composite materials, offering a strong blend of durability and energy efficiency while protecting the environment. You can find upvc windows, for example, from many window manufacturers.

3. Add recycled materials to your landscaping

Adding recycled materials to your landscaping or backyard is another great way to make your home remodel a lot more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Rubberized mulching, adding rocks, and DIY sculptures are good options. A rubber mulch, made particularly with old tires, is perfect if your yard has a garden. Yes, it can be a little more expensive than other mulch products, but once you install it, it requires little maintenance and lasts for a longer time. A rubber mulch has also been proven to help retain soil moisture while suppressing the growth of weeds. Other options include decorating your landscape with small rocks, as an eco-friendly way to up your outdoor style. Plus, rocks also require very little maintenance compared to grass. If you’re gifted with creating stuff, you can also consider building a unique sculpture made with recycled materials.

4. Turn to composite decking

pool with a deck over half of it - ways to use recycled materials in your home — Credit: Pexels.

Adding a deck to your home is one of the best remodeling moves you can make. While hardwood is the first material that comes to mind, you can opt for composite decking instead, which is more sustainable.

Composite decking uses deck boards made from a blend of organic wood flakes and plastic. You can also find options made from 100% polymer materials and some types of binding agents. They’re designed to be sustainable, with their best benefit being their low-maintenance nature. They’re also defect-free, meaning you won’t have to worry about parts of your deck rotting or deteriorating with time from exposure to natural elements.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.