ReSource Waste Services of Lewiston to Pursue RCI Certification
ReSource Waste Services of Lewiston, a company that processes construction and demolition (C&D) waste and recovers material that can be reused in other applications, has begun the process to seek certification from the Recycling Certification Institute (RCI). RCI is an independent third party that will evaluate the facility’s recovery records to determine if they are accurate, verifiable and reasonable.
Such certification will benefit Lewiston’s contractor customers who wish to achieve LEED green-building certification for building projects.
The rigorous application and evaluation process is expected to take 18 months. If successful, the Lewiston facility will be the second C&D processing facility to achieve certification in New England. The first and only RCI-certified C&D processing facility in New England is ReSource Waste Services’ facility in Roxbury, MA.
Gregory Leahey, the president of ReSource Waste Services, said that a recent capital investment at the Lewiston site allows this facility to achieve recovery rates similar to the rates achieved at the Roxbury, MA site. The capital investment of approximately $2 million funded two new high-intensity magnets to increase the recovery of ferrous metals; an eddy current separator to increase the recovery of non-ferrous metal; a destoner to increase the recovery of asphalt, brick and concrete; and an additional picking line to allow for enhanced recovery of recycled materials such as wood, plastic and cardboard.
“We are very pleased to be in a position to pursue RCI certification at the Lewiston site,” Leahey said. “The certification process is rigorous, but we have pursued the certification successfully in the past. This certification is meaningful to many of the contractors who deliver construction and demolition waste to us. If a contractor is working on a project that is seeking LEED green-building certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the contractor will earn credit toward that certification by disposing project waste at a RCI-certified facility.”
Leahey said that LEED construction projects, certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, are required to meet minimum recycling rates for their C&D waste. “More and more stakeholders – including project developers and owners, architects, environmental groups and government agencies — are interested in verification of recovery and recycling rates, and we are proud to play a part in measuring our region’s progress toward sustainable construction and development.”
The Lewiston facility will be pursuing additional projects to enhance its environmental, social and governance (ESG) programs and policies, Leahey said. “In the months and years ahead, our stakeholders will see that we are further elevating our focus on matters that are becoming more important in the 21st century, including sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion. Leahey pointed out that the facility already is well-known for its focus on health and safety, and has recently achieved 675 days without a recordable injury.
About RCI’s Certification Process
RCI’s national certification program ensures integrity, transparency, accuracy and reliability in the recovery/recycling reports of participating C&D recycling facilities. The organization uses a rigorous, open, and comprehensive process for developing its protocols. Its primary focus, he said, is on accurate recycling accounting to ensure that the recovery and recycling reports issued by certified facilities are real, verifiable, reproducible, and reasonable.
During the audit, the RCI evaluation team will verify various activities and records, including: the facility’s processes; the sorting and storage of materials; the use and calibration frequency of certified scales; the proper weighing of materials and electronic storage of information; the accuracy of material sorting; and quality control measures that ensure accuracy in recovery and uploading of facility data. The evaluation team also will review sales records, permits, and employee training and safety manuals.
RCI certification is valid for five years, subject to an annual recertification charge. After five years, a facility must undergo a recertification process.
ReSource Lewiston accepts a wide variety of solid, non-hazardous construction and demolition (C&D) materials from waste handlers, contractors, roofers, landscapers, property managers, clean-out companies and homeowners. Using labor and state-of-the-art equipment, the facility recovers components of value and transforms waste into reusable commodities.
The Lewiston facility supports approximately 40 direct jobs and dozens of indirect jobs, spends about $14 million a year and has more than 50 customers and more than 100 vendors. It makes direct payments of more than $400,000 per year to the Maine DEP solid waste fund for the disposal of waste at the Juniper Ridge Landfill and has a direct benefit to the City of Lewiston of approximately $275,000 every year, including lease and tax payments and free disposal of waste.
ReSource Waste Services is the largest processor of construction and demolition debris in New England. The company’s portfolio includes five processing facilities in New England with an annual permitted capacity of approximately 1.4 million tons, a trucking company and a C&D collection business.
ReSource Waste Services is owned by GCM Grosvenor (NASDAQ: GCMG), a leading global alternative asset management solutions provider, in partnership with ReEnergy Holdings LLC.
More information on ReSource Waste Service can be found at www.resourcewasteservices.com.
