Hennepin County promotes using salvaged goods for home renovations with Salvage Crawl

Throughout May, Hennepin County is promoting local businesses that collect salvage and resell it at a fraction of its original cost.

The hope is to get more people exposed to the idea of reusing the old materials to build for newer projects, and maybe save money throughout the process of building or renovating.

“About 85 percent of the materials in a typical demolition could be kept out of the landfill,” said Olivia Cashman, the construction and demolition waste specialist with Hennepin County.

“Right now, only about 30 percent of those materials are reused or recycled — so we have a huge opportunity to get these materials out of the landfill and get them back in use in the community.”

With that in mind, Cashman organized Salvage Crawl 2025, a month-long campaign to promote businesses that sell used building materials. It’s also an opportunity for the community to explore salvage shops for projects or inspiration.

“Salvage materials are more affordable than buying new, and especially in this economy it's great to keep those materials local and keep those costs down.”

Press play above to listen to the full conversation.

• ‘Burn ‘em!’: The deafening roar of drag racing returns to Minnesota’s oldest strip
• University of St. Thomas student says being in Rome for conclave deepened his faith
• Morning Announcements for May 7