"One man’s trash is another man’s treasure" is a well-known phrase that applies to scavenger hunters combing the beach for trinkets.
It also applies to Ryan Reynolds on a much grander scale. Reynolds is the deconstruction program manager for Re-use Hawaii, a company that removes structures by hand for the purpose of recovering material for resale and reuse.
“Re-use Hawaii is dedicated to keeping construction waste out of the landfill,” Reynolds said in an interview with Big Island Times. “The large majority of material that is disposed of at the landfill comes from the traditional demolition of structures that would have otherwise been saved and reused.”
Reynolds makes it his quest to reuse as much material as possible. Re-use Hawaii, founded in 2006 in Oahu and 2018-19 on the Big Island, consists of a three-part program. Deconstruction crews meticulously deconstruct whole structures, separating parts and features, down to the nails, that can be sent to the processing center, where materials are cleaned before they advance to the redistribution center, where the materials are put on sale.
Reynolds began as a material processor in 2015, pulling nails and cleaning up salvaged lumber for resale, before working his way up to a deconstruction crew member working on job sites. He became the manager in 2018 to complete the demolition and begin the restoration of Kona Village Resort, where he spent 10 months deconstructing 106 structures.
“Before Re-use Hawaii was founded, structures were just crunched up with an excavator and thrown away, perfectly good material because nobody had anywhere to take it,” Reynolds explained. “Before our redistribution center opened, folks would have to just go to (their) local hardware store to purchase everything brand-new. Now we may offer some of the same products for half price or more.”
Reynolds has a passion for what he does. He grew up in Kona and was always environmentally conscious. His father, a contractor, taught him the construction side of the business. His mother, a teacher, fueled his search to find alternatives to the same old way of doing things.
“I realized from a young age that our society is stuck in a use-it-and-dispose-of-it mindset, which I wanted to change,” Reynolds said. “Once I saw what Re-use Hawaii did and their mission, I was hooked. I love the construction industry, and I have a passion for reusing and recycling, so it was a perfect fit.”
Re-use Hawaii is a 501(c)(3) organization that accepts tax-deductible donations through their deconstruction services, if residents are remodeling or demolishing their home or business. It also accepts selective building materials, according to guidelines listed on the Re-use Hawaii website.