Nantucket Preservation Trust is excited to announce the publication of the “Nantucket Building Material Salvage Study”, commissioned by NPT and completed by EBP, a Boston-based consulting firm who have completed numerous sustainability-focused studies on Nantucket.
The goal of the study was to investigate how Nantucket might implement building policies that support sustainability while avoiding significant costs to the community. EBP researched ordinances implemented in other communities, including Portland, OR, that require or incentivize deconstruction of historic buildings, rather than mechanical demolition, and allow for the salvage of building materials. The study mapped the ages of structure on the island, finding that 13% of Nantucket’s buildings were constructed prior to 1900 and 36% were built prior to 1975, or within the “period of significance” of the Nantucket National Historic Landmark as defined by the National Parks Service.
Recommendations from EBP included lengthening the delay required before the permitted demolition of an historic building, from 60 days to at least six months, and explored the possibilities for expanding existing reuse programs on island, including the “Take It or Leave It” free store at the Nantucket Landfill.
Nantucket currently sends approximately 17,000 tons of construction and demolition waste to off island landfills each year, and while that number is staggering, it also represents a great opportunity to salvage materials and make our island more sustainable.
Click here to read Part One of the study, completed in April 2022.