The dilemma at the dump

Tearing out walls in preparation for our new kitchen, remodeled bathroom/laundry room and downsized doorway to Patti's office have given me pause. I've renovated many an old house with grungy old walls that just need to go to give the place new life. But in this case, the building construction is essentially brand new. It feels very decadent and a bit odd to tear out new construction to make way for designs of our preference. We're trying to minimize the amount of tear out and keep it simple, but it seems every plumbing job requires ripping off more drywall. Will the newly designed and remodeled bathroom be so much better than the original? Well, yes. And it will be damned cool! The designer in me is having a blast and can't wait for this place to come to life as Patti's and mine.

But what about this dilemma?

I was struck by what a wasteful world we live in (always a concern of mine) while at the dump. When I first looked at the pile of old drywall and tile, I thought it was quite large. But then after adding it to the pile at the dump and seeing just how puny a little collection it was, compared to the large mound of construction debris, it really made me wonder about the amount of trash that is thrown away every day. You can see the scale here in this picture, but what you can't see is that this pile was small in comparison to an even larger pile on the floor of the dump transfer station. It was maybe 1/4 full and trucks were actively dumping all around. And this is only one dump in one small city in this very large world...