Resources and Press
Read the latest news about Remain Nantucket, Remain Ventures and our many island partners who are working to make the community more sustainable, viable and resilient. Please come back frequently for updates.
Salvage and Reuse Nantucket
Leaders on Nantucket are exploring systematic advances in deconstruction and repurposed materials to foster a circular economy and a more responsible future for the island.
The Vision
To optimize waste practices, preserve valuable resources, support affordable housing solutions and cultivate a circular economy for a sustainable and responsible built environment.
The Mission
Remain offers consultants, research and learning opportunities to investigate the issues. With the right skills and leaders in place, partners can establish best practices for salvage and reuse.
The Project
was made possible through Remain Nantucket.
Cultural Heritage Reclaimed
A Journey to Deconstruction
Together with local leaders, Nantucket is working on an approach that conserves resources, supports affordable housing and promotes sustainability
In 2021, the Nantucket Preservation Trust (NPT) engaged with Remain to explore the establishment of an architectural salvage yard, aiming to repurpose valuable building materials and find a more sustainable alternative to current waste disposal practices.
Construction and demolition (C&D) debris pose significant environmental challenges, with estimates projecting global waste volume to double by 2050. Nantucket alone sends over 17,000 tons of waste annually to off-island landfills due to the growing demands of construction and renovation, a sharp departure from its historic culture of material reuse dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
While individual initiatives champion reuse, there is a need to formalize comprehensive strategies. Salvaged materials, rich in history and quality, hold potential for new construction, affordable housing and artisanal crafts. The practice of salvage and reuse also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and supports a circular economy. Challenges remain, from securing storage and incentivizing deconstruction to shifting industry habits, but research conducted by EBP in 2022 revealed significant salvage potential and offered economic and environmental insights to guide this work.
In 2023, NPT organized public events with national experts and local stakeholders to explore deconstruction strategies, while Remain and NPT deepened partnerships with the Department of Public Works (DPW) and Housing Nantucket. In 2024, this momentum grew with ongoing education and outreach efforts, a new collaboration with Chris Carey of Carey Construction and the awarding of a MassDEP microgrant to bring deconstruction expert Dave Bennink to Nantucket for consulting and training. Together with NPT and Remain, Bennink toured demolition sites, met with DPW Solid Waste Manager Chris Lowe and joined local leaders for a community dinner hosted by Remain to discuss reuse strategies.
NPT also advanced policy discussions, including a June citizen’s petition to extend the island’s demolition delay from 60 to 180 days, which passed at Town Meeting in September. That same month, the cohort engaged the Land Bank to explore deconstruction opportunities, leading to the creation of the “Shed the Waste” project with Habitat for Humanity as a managing partner, which secured grant funding by year’s end.
EBP Study Reports
Reports provide data on Nantucket’s construction waste landscape, monetary value of reuse, carbon footprint impacts and alternative models
Salvage Presentations
Reuse leaders visit Nantucket to speak about the successes (and challenges) of deconstruction and creating a circular economy
Deconstruction + Reuse Conference
A Nantucket cohort attends a reuse conference in Savannah to gain industry knowledge
Partner: Nantucket Preservation Trust
Nantucket Preservation Trust serves to protect, promote and preserve the island’s unique architectural heritage and sense of place.
Partner: Boston Building Resources
Boston Building Resources continues a history of helping people with home improvement materials and knowledge that began in 1978.
Partner: Nantucket Land Bank
The Land Bank is a conservation program created to acquire, hold and manage important open spaces and endangered landscapes for the use and enjoyment of the general public. It also applies conservation, recreation and agriculture efforts to its properties.
Partner: Carey Company
Carey Company are Nantucket builders dedicated to building beautiful homes on Nantucket for over 15 years.
Partner: Habitat for Humanity Nantucket
Habitat for Humanity Nantucket seeks to make decent, affordable shelter a matter of conscience and action for all people, and work to provide the opportunity of affordable homeownership to families living in situations of critical housing need, both locally and worldwide, through construction, advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions.
Partner: Town of Nantucket’s Department of Public Works
Nantucket Department of Public Works provides and maintains public services necessary for the economy, growth and quality of life for the citizens and visitors to Nantucket.
Partner: Housing Nantucket
Housing Nantucket supports and provides equitable, affordable housing solutions for Nantucket’s year-round community.
By the Numbers
To become a resilient community that repurposes valuable building materials through deconstruction and reuse, we first have to understand our island’s waste landscape. Two studies led by Boston-based economic consultants offered focused reporting about demolition and solid waste on Nantucket to provide our community leaders the data to make informed decisions.
-
17,000
Tons of C&D waste shipped off-island annually -
385
Building permits issued annually -
4,500
Estimated tons of building materials that could be salvaged for reuse on Nantucket -
2
Studies led by EBP
Remain Workshop To Teach Sustainable Deconstruction and Material Reuse
NANTUCKET, MA — Remain, in collaboration with Nantucket Community School and Boston Building Resources, announced today the upcoming “Deconstruction, Adaptive Reuse and the Circular Economy Workshop,” a four-hour course open to the public and designed to explore sustainable strategies for deconstruction and material reuse in construction. The curriculum is rooted in the principles of a…
Remain: Workshop on Sustainable Deconstruction and Material Reuse
Bluedot Living – (August 19, 2025) Remain, in collaboration with Nantucket Community School and Boston Building Resources, is hosting a Deconstruction, Adaptive Reuse, and Circular Economy Workshop — a four-hour course open to the public exploring sustainable strategies for deconstruction and material reuse in construction. Read the full story here.
New Deconstruction Initiative Launches at Land Bank Creeks Property
NANTUCKET, MA — Remain announced today a new partnership with the Nantucket Land Bank to advance a deconstruction initiative at 19 East Creek Road, creating new opportunities for material reuse and workforce training across the island’s building sector. The project was formally supported at the Land Bank Commission meeting on Tuesday, April 22. Work at…
Land Bank, Remain launch deconstruction initiative to reduce demolition waste
Inquirer and Mirror (May 1, 2025) The Land Bank and Remain are teaming up to promote building deconstruction and salvage as an alternative to full demolition. As part of this new effort, Remain is funding the assessment and potential deconstruction of a Land Bank building and hopes the project will serve as a live learning…
Salvage and Reuse in Action with Delivery of Office Furniture to Island Nonprofits
NANTUCKET, MA — In an innovative partnership to encourage sustainability, salvage and reuse, The Community Foundation for Nantucket (CFN), Remain and Boston Building Resources (BBR) are joining forces to deliver nearly 40 pieces of high-quality office furniture to nonprofit organizations across the island. This initiative reflects a shared commitment between the organizations to environmental stewardship…
Salvage and reuse in action
Inquirer and Mirror – (April 16, 2025) Thanks to an innovative partnership to encourage sustainability, salvage and reuse, the Community Foundation for Nantucket, Remain and Boston Building Resources are joining forces to deliver nearly 40 pieces of high-quality office furniture to nonprofit organizations across the island. Read the full story here.
Nantucket Building Material Salvage Study Phase 1 Report
A partnership between Remain and the Nantucket Preservation Trust has been exploring the challenges and potential pathways forward for the practice of salvage and reuse of materials in the building sector on Nantucket, which has the potential to not only mitigates greenhouse gas emissions but also assist affordable housing endeavors. Research began with Boston-based…
Nantucket Building Material Salvage Study Phase II Report
A partnership between Remain and the Nantucket Preservation Trust has been exploring the challenges and potential pathways forward for the practice of salvage and reuse of materials in the building sector on Nantucket, which has the potential to not only mitigates greenhouse gas emissions but also assist affordable housing endeavors. Research began with Boston-based…
Nantucket Preservation Trust and ReMain Nantucket Engage in Building Materials Reuse and Architectural Salvage Study
NANTUCKET, Mass. January 10, 2022 — Every year on Nantucket, more than 8,800 tons of construction and demolition waste are transported off-island, eventually winding up in a landfill facility in southern Ohio. This includes materials from homes that have been either entirely or partially demolished, much of which has the potential to be salvaged and…
Architectural Salvage Workshop Commercial
In the fall of 2023, Remain Nantucket continued its partnership with the Nantucket Preservation Trust on exploring deconstruction, salvage and reuse on the island with a public workshop featuring experts from San Antonio, Texas and Savannah, Georgia, alongside local stakeholders, to delve into deconstruction strategies and circular economy models. Watch the commercial for the workshop…
Remain Nantucket is committed to supporting the evolution of a healthy year-round community across the island. Remain taps into continuous dialogue to identify challenges and explore solutions. By supporting resourceful thinking and research, Remain builds on Nantucket’s traditions of independence and innovation while adding expertise from a worldwide network. Remain Nantucket, LLC engages in charitable work and community investments as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Schmidt Family Foundation.