Introducing the NKBA Renovation Angel Luxury Kitchen Recycling Awards at KBIS 2020. By Dianne M. Pogoda

Sustainability has been a buzzword across many industries for quite a while. But putting the ideas into practice on a big scale can be overwhelming, and requires a substantial commitment of time and resources.

NKBA is proud to introduce the Luxury Kitchen Recycling Awards, in partnership with  Renovation Angel, a luxury kitchen recycling company, to recognize these efforts in the kitchen universe. The inaugural awards will be presented at KBIS 2020, on the KBIS NeXT Stage, Jan. 22 in Las Vegas.

“The goal of these awards is to encourage luxury kitchen recycling as a best practice within the design community,” said Steve Feldman, CEO of Renovation Angel, which has recycled more than 6,500 high-end kitchens in the past 14 years, keeping them out of landfills.

The awards will acknowledge kitchen designers, architects, interior designers, showrooms and manufacturers who have rescued one or more kitchens for recycling, reuse and resale or donation.

“Recycling is a critical practice in all aspects of business, and in fact, of daily life,” said Bill Darcy, CEO of NKBA. “Showing how our industry can participate in sustainable business practices will result in better, more efficient business for all of us, and leave a better environment for our children.”

Seven awards will be presented at the event, hosted by George Oliphant, a celebrity remodeler and host of “George to the Rescue” on NBC. Oliphant will also serve as a judge. Three honors for achievement in luxury recycling include:

  • Most valuable kitchen donated;
  • Best ultra-luxury kitchen (must include one or more specified brands);
  • Most upcycled kitchens from a single firm.

Three awards for best recycled kitchen projects include:

  • Small kitchen (up to 250 square feet);
  • Medium kitchen (251-750 square feet);
  • Large kitchen (751 square feet and larger).

A special “Angel Discretionary Award” will recognize a manufacturer, designer, architecture or design firm, or showroom displaying a remarkable effort in sustainability.

To qualify, kitchens must have been be recycled or donated between Jan. 1, 2017, and Oct. 31, 2019, in at least one of the following ways: as a donation to a non-profit organization; resold, or retrofitted into another space. Projects should be as complete as possible, with at least 50% of the kitchen materials included for upcycling. These include repurposed cabinets, countertops, sinks, faucets and appliances.

Entries must be submitted online here, where full details and guidelines are available. There is no fee to enter the competition, which is open through Nov. 22.

Feldman founded Renovation Angel in 2005 as a non-profit to protect the earth, create recycling jobs and help those in need through reclaiming luxury kitchens. His headquarters is in Fairfield, N.J., but RA operates all over the country. At KBIS last February, Feldman presented the “Early Adopter” awards for luxury recycling, kicking off the LKRA program.

“This is a circular economy,” Feldman said at KBIS 2019, noting that consumers can save $10,000 to $50,000, depending on the size of the project, in tax deductions and demolition costs.

Every year, more than 50,000 luxury kitchens that could have been recycled and reused are dumped into landfills. And luxury kitchens can generate $800 million for the circular economy in resale, and $200 million to $300 million in jobs, he pointed out.

“We’ve created an after-market of people who are buying used luxury,” Feldman said. “Think about it — people buy a used luxury car. They can buy a pre-owned luxury kitchen.”

For more information and to enter a project by Nov. 22, 6 p.m. (EST), click here.