A civil engineer recycled materials from a municipal construction project into a modern dwelling. Paul Pedini, who worked on the Big Dig in Boston, carted away steel and concrete that was used to build temporary on ramps to build a sustainable house.

Pedini's idea is to "precycle," or find a reuse, for construction materials while a project is underway. He wants agencies to require that a percentage of materials used by sub-contractors find a second home.

While it is unrealistic to believe that all of a project's materials could be repurposed, thinking about how to dispose of left over materials should be part of the planning stage rather than an afterthought. This strategic thinking should be part of all commercial and government projects. If organizations plan well enough, they could probably make money off of the sale rather than paying someone to dump it in a landfill.