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When Northeast Portland resident Margaret Davis last week saw clouds of dust coming from a nearby house being demolished, she worried about what the dust contained.

鈥淚f you lived nearby, your home, any play structure or barbecue in your yard and your vegetable garden would be covered in the dust emanating from this demolition,鈥� she said.

Davis made her statement to the Portland City Council at its June 3 meeting as it considered a resolution to encourage deconstruction over mechanical demolition in instances when both are options. During deconstruction, a house is dismantled piece by piece to recycle as much as possible 鈥� as opposed to mechanical demolition that can produce more waste and clouds of possible toxic dust.

The resolution, introduced by Mayor Charlie Hales, promised to 鈥減rovide incentives, training and technical assistance to promote voluntary deconstruction as a viable alternative to mechanical demolition.鈥�

The resolution, which passed unanimously, will focus on residential demolition beginning with a pilot program this fall. The Deconstruction Advisory Group, which conceived the resolution, will report back to the council with pilot program results in January 2016.

Davis, a member of United Neighbors for Reform, said federal studies have shown that dust from demolitions can travel up to 400 feet.

鈥淭he house (being demolished) was under 600 square feet, but the dust kept coming all day long and continued this week,鈥� she said.

Davis told the council she would like to see an even stronger resolution.

鈥淢ake deconstruction mandatory and fast-track its implementation,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd in doing so, you will put a stop to the toxic clouds no one should have to ingest.鈥�

In addition, dismantling a house piece by piece for recycling means less waste in landfills, said Shawn Wood, the city’s construction waste specialist.

Wood said the pilot program would include a two-day training in September, technical assistance on job sites and promotion in the community. Because deconstruction takes longer and costs more than mechanical demolition, short-term financial incentives could come from $50,000 in the city’s Solid Waste Management Fund Reserve, he said.

The pilot program will be the first phase, Wood said; ensuing phases will be determined after pilot program results are weighed by City Council.

鈥淲e will figure out how to measure salvaged materials and issues related to compliance,鈥� he said.

Participation in the deconstruction program will be voluntary, Wood said.

Commissioner Nick Fish said he would like the advisory group to look at prior deconstruction projects to see how they work.

鈥淭here are lots of experts,鈥� Wood said. 鈥淪eattle uses hybrid deconstruction where they use an excavator to lower walls (to be deconstructed) for more speed and lower costs,鈥� he said.

The value of recycled construction materials is great, said Joe Connell, vice president of retail operations for Habitat for Humanity. Retail operations for the nonprofit last year brought in $3 million in sales, raised $1 million to build new homes, produced 10 million to 12 million pounds of recyclable materials and created 33 new jobs, he said.

鈥淭his was all made possible by reused (building) materials and has tremendous impact,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 support this resolution because we know we can do more. This is just the tip of the iceberg.鈥�

Maryhelen Kincaid, chairwoman of the city’s Development Review Advisory Committee, said that although some people want to see deconstruction become mandatory, she 鈥渄oesn’t want to see anyone demonized鈥� for not using it, because she believes it will eventually catch on.

鈥淲e heard a lot of complaints about curbside recycling, but now it’s a community event to get the garbage cans out,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is a good way to teach people how to do good things. It will create jobs and save precious resources.鈥�

Alando Simpson of City of Roses Disposal & Recycling told the council that the resolution will create more 鈥済reen collar鈥� jobs.

鈥淎s someone who lives and breathes recycling, this resolution will enable our firm to expand,鈥� he said.

When deconstruction is used, according to the resolution, it 鈥渁llows for the systematic discovery and further abatement of hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead and mercury, which can go undiscovered when using mechanical demolition.鈥�

Before the meeting, Dave Nielsen, CEO of the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland, said he was glad the resolution encouraging deconstruction was not made mandatory. The HBA conducts training on both waste and health issues related to residential construction through its sustainability education programs and lead-based paint certification classes.

Nielsen sent a letter to City Council supporting the resolution, but he said concerns over health issues tied to mechanical demolition were overblown.

鈥淚t’s been a scare tactic, about lead and asbestos in the air,鈥� he said. 鈥�(The Department of Environmental Quality) already regulates that and our most well-attended class is our lead-based paint certification class.鈥�

According to an impact statement from the Deconstruction Advisory Group, deconstruction can help the local economy because it creates six jobs for every one in mechanical demolition. It also creates more work for contractors, retailers, designers and carpenters, the report states.

鈥淒econstruction also reduces the likelihood of neighboring properties and material recovery facility workers being exposed to hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead and mercury,鈥� it states.

Brandon Spencer-Hartle of Restore Oregon, who served on the advisory committee, told City Council that mechanical demolition of a typical 1,200-square-foot house generates 138,000 pounds of waste. He suggested that the city phase in a disincentive landfill tax on mechanical demolition.

Hales responded that options are being explored.

鈥淚’ve already talked to staff about drafting disincentives to mechanical demolition 鈥� a logical next step,鈥� he said.

Commissioner Amanda Fritz asked Wood about a regional approach to encouraging deconstruction.

鈥淲e are working closely with Metro staff and talked to them about additional funds,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we have interest from Clackamas and Washington counties and Seattle and Puget Sound.鈥�

Hales closed the meeting by reminiscing about reusing building materials personally.

鈥淲e have miles and miles of great old streets with great old houses,鈥� he said. 鈥淔orty years ago this summer I was helping my mom and dad build a house with a floor of 150-year-old heart pine. The beauty of the old material was part of the joy of that house.鈥�