Don't throw that sink out. Last month, construction crews salvaged dozens of McCoy Hall's sinks, toilets and cabinets — and other fixtures typically earmarked for a landfill — for their future reuse. The university is currently in phase two of a renovation effort on the Homewood campus residence hall, located on the corner of Charles and 34th streets.

In a five-day period, crews carefully extracted nearly all the building's usable items, which also included shower doors, light fixtures and computer cables, for delivery to the Loading Dock, a nonprofit building materials reuse warehouse. The items will eventually find their way to Habitat for Humanity homes, local businesses and low-income families.

Carpets removed from McCoy were sent to Interface Carpet for special incineration so that potentially harmful chemicals in the carpet fibers would not be released into the atmosphere.

The innovative recycling project was a joint effort of the university's Housing Department, Design and Construction Department and Recycling Program.

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