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Renovated Reuse Center now open for business; celebration week set for April 19-24

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The newly renovated Reuse Center at Boston Building Resources is now open to customers and donors following more than nine months of construction. The “green” net-zero carbon building is the first of its kind in Boston’s Mission Hill and serves as a groundbreaking example of how a metal warehouse-style building can be retrofitted to the highest energy efficiency standards. It opened to the public on March 27, and a weeklong reopening celebration is scheduled for April 19–24 to coincide with Earth Day.

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On Monday, April 19, an afternoon celebration from 2:00 to 4:30 will include refreshments courtesy of FoodLink and live music by the (fully vaccinated) Mighty Silverbacks. At 3:00 p.m., a ribbon to the building will be cut by Brooke Nash, Branch Chief for the Municipal Waste Reduction Program at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Reuse of materials, such as the building supplies donated to and sold by the Reuse Center at BBR, is one of MassDEP’s strategies for reducing municipal waste.

Throughout the celebration week, BBR will offer discounts and giveaways, including:

Daily discounts at the Reuse Center:

  • Monday: 20% off all windows

  • Tuesday: 20% off all doors

  • Wednesday: 20% off all bath items

  • Thursday: 20% off all molding and lumber

  • Friday: 50% off any item with a 2020 sticker

  • Saturday: 50% off all ceiling fans

A free kitchen scrap bucket for composting with every in-person membership (new or renewal) at both the Co-op and the Reuse Center.

A free NEW Standard membership with the purchase of any composter or rain barrel at the Co-op.

Charitable contributions of $25 or more from Plus Members will be matched by a generous supporter from April 19 through 25.

For those who prefer to celebrate remotely, there will be daily Facebook Live feeds, including building tours.

The 9,024-square-foot warehouse is heated and cooled using electrical power generated by a 43.2-kilowatt, 114-panel rooftop solar array. The building’s outer walls were retrofitted with foam insulation panels to retain heated and conditioned air. Other improvements include better lighting, an expanded receiving area for incoming donations, and an additional space to display available materials. Customers, volunteers, and visitors will find a greatly improved experience.

Equally important to the environment is the work that takes place inside the renovated facility: keeping good-quality reusable building materials out of the waste stream and making them available at affordable prices, with discounts to customers with lower incomes. A new layout improves the efficiency of the workflow at the Reuse Center, making it possible to take in, evaluate, and display more donated materials. Shoppers can more easily find and purchase the items they need with improved racks, lighting, and checkout. Used materials have been incorporated in a variety of ways.

Foundation and corporate project funders include the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund, Barr Foundation, Berkshire Bank, Cricket Foundation, Dedham Savings Community Foundation, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, Fieldstone Foundation, Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, Jane’s Trust, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Mission Hill Fenway Neighborhood Trust, and Needham Bank. A loan was provided by the Cooperative Fund of New England.

Charitable contributions are still being sought to fully fund the $1.8 million project cost.

The building was designed by Black River Architects; building contractor was Landmark Structures.