Fingernail-size shards of glass caught Todd Jones’ eye as he walked across the yard at REVOLVS Salvage in Waupaca during a recent tour. He stopped and spent a minute picking the materials out of the dirt before depositing them in a dumpster.
If he had his way, the glass would have been big enough and clean enough to recycle or reuse, like 95% of the materials the business receives in truckloads four times a week.
“The whole foundation of this business is to keep these materials, these tremendous assets, out of a landfill,” Jones says.
REVOLVS was founded in early 2023 when Jones, who is a partner in Loot Vintage and Supply, was contacted by Jeff Janson, who owns Urban Evolutions in Appleton with his wife, Robin. Urban Evolutions has a business relationship with Kenosha-based Recyclean Inc., owned by Mike Goffman.
They had an idea.
Recyclean deconstructs residential and commercial structures across seven states to recycle and reuse as many of the materials as possible. Urban Evolutions reclaims wood for use in construction and products.
“We saw a need, we saw an opportunity through Mike’s deconstruction operations and we set up shop in March of 2023. So, it’s still an early-stage startup here in Wisconsin but growing rapidly,” Jones says.
Deconstruction materials are sold or donated on the job site, or they come back to the warehouse in Waupaca, where they are marketed to a wide customer base including DIY retail customers, contractors, architects, designers and property management companies.
Customer response is enthusiastic, with some visiting the warehouse several times a week to peruse a dizzying array of items. There are appliances, light fixtures, lumber, flooring, plumbing supplies, cabinets, countertops, furnishings, doors and windows, even a spiral staircase.
“The biggest benefit of REVOLVS is that we keep these assets out of the landfill,” Jones says.
The construction and demolition industry contributed more than 600 billion tons to landfills in 2017, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“There’s a movement across states, across the country in fact, to shift and put in legislation and regulations for folks such as builders to reuse, recycle and repurpose some of these materials,” Jones says.
More and more businesses are interested in a construction and demolition model that provides opportunities for recycling and reuse of materials, according to Jones. Besides environmental stewardship, businesses can realize cost savings and tax incentives.
As the industry grows, REVOLVS plans to as well.
“Our vision and goal for this business is to have this type of operation in each state [where] we deconstruct so then we also improve the environment by not trucking materials from state to state, adding to the carbon footprint,” Jones says.
The company also plans to implement technology for more efficient inventory management and improve its e-commerce site (revolvs.com).
It’s not just a vision of growth or business success that drives REVOLVS. Jones says he wants to be a voice for the industry.
“Our mission … is to evolve the world’s view of reuse, and we are committed and passionate about that every single day of the week,” he says.
