Whether the prior owners of your home didn’t update the kitchen since the 1960s or the layout just doesn’t work for you, chances are your home will need to undergo a renovation or at least a minor makeover at some point in your life. And over the past few years, homeowners have doubled their remodeling efforts, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University.

But all the waste associated with a renovation—from old appliances and leftover materials to broken drywall and an abundance of packaging—feels inevitable and, for an ardent environmentalist, like a barrier to aesthetically upgrading