Demolishing a home isn't necessarily a pleasant decision, but it's sometimes inevitable. If you purchase land and want to start from scratch, your property becomes damaged or you inherit a property that doesn't suit your needs, knocking down the whole thing can seem unavoidable.

In the past, demolition came with the added negative of creating a pile of useless waste that needed to be buried. Now, the guilt that comes with demolition can be avoided as there are many ways to recycle the materials in a typical home. Here are four ideas for homeowners and contractors who are demolishinga structure that can help them make good use of the materials that are left over.

Don't Let Good Bluegum go to Waste

Hardwoods should be prized like precious metals, given how long they take to grow and their myriad uses in construction. Plenty of homes include joists and columns made from Australian hardwoods like bluegum which are perfect for reusing in different projects. Bluegum is particularly handy as it is sought after by furniture craftsmen who make a point of sourcing their raw materials from properties being demolished.

Put Your Terracotta Tiles to Good Use

Terracotta is another popular construction material that it should be criminal to waste. With its rich red tones and durability, terracotta roof tiles are idea for re-purposing in planters, guttering and garden borders, while they can also be re-used as roofing tiles in alternative projects. If no alternative uses emerge, terracotta is also a popular material among artists, so you might find willing buyers in suburban studios or gallery districts in the centre of town.

Find a New Use for Ceramic Bowls on Construction Sites

Think hard before throwing away any element of a demolition job. Even unheralded items like ceramic toilet bowls can be reused if you find the right buyer. Construction crews often purchase used toilet bowls and place them on the edge of work sites, using them as makeshift urinals. It's cheaper than hiring a portable toilet and the toilet bowl can be directly hooked up to sewage points easily.

Sell Bricks on for Profit

Bricks are another unglamorous but potentially valuable material produced by home demolitions. Instead of sending your bricks away to landfill sites, it's worth exploring the market for reused bricks. Most cities have specialist brick recyclers who buy in bulk from demolition companies and collect a portfolio of different materials and colours. That way, they can match up their clients with exactly the right brick for their projects.

Anything Else Can be Crushed and Recycled

Well, almost anything. Carpets, woods impregnated with resins and hazardous materials like asbestos are excluded, but concrete and low-quality bricks can be processed and re-purposed for a wide range of other uses. But there are even better reasons to choose concrete crushing over sending waste to landfill sites. According to the NSW EPA, recycling concrete is actually much cheaper than transporting it to landfill sites. It's a true win-win situation. You can protect the environment and save money. (For more information, contact companies like South Coast Concrete Crushing & Recycling.)

If you are planning to demolish a property or even a small structure attached to your property, the smart move is to consider recycling or re-purposing as many elements as possible. From hardwoods to concrete, most of the buildings we use can be taken apart and reused for other things. In a world of finite resources and rising costs, there's no reason to waste a single roof tile.