Date: June 15, 2010
Source: IESI Corporation
IESI-Texas Region Announces McKinney Material Recovery Facility LEED Gold Certification
The US Green Building Council has awarded Gold Certification to IESI Corporation's ("IESI") Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in McKinney, Texas. The MRF is the first privately funded single-stream recycling facility in North America to receive USGBC's LEED Gold status. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000, LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a third-party certification program that is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
"LEED certification is not an easy task to achieve, especially for a manufacturing facility," said Shawn Eiras, IESI McKinney district manager. "This first-of-its-kind facility in the country allows us to process material more efficiently, increases the amount of recyclables being diverted from the landfill, creates a pleasant working environment for our employees, and gives us a wonderful educational resource for our community."
The new 28,000 square-foot McKinney MRF contains numerous sustainable features including certified wood, recycled steel, low-flow water fixtures, and energy efficient machinery. Because the facility utilizes the single-stream process, customers can combine paper, glass, metals, cardboard and plastics all in one large container.
John Gustafson, IESI Texas Region Vice President, added, "We are extremely proud to receive a Gold level certification from the USGBC for the McKinney MRF. Not only is this project another example of our commitment to partnering with the communities we serve, but also a further demonstration of our commitment to environmentally sustainable initiatives."
IESI's McKinney MRF is only one of many of the company's recent enhancements to its sustainable initiatives. In September 2009, IESI obtained LEED Gold certification for its Seneca Meadows Environmental Education Center in Seneca Falls, New York. This facility serves as an educational resource for children and adults by providing nature-based programming. The education center is adjacent to a thousand-acre wetlands complex acting as an outdoor recreational area, complete with walking trails, boardwalks and wildlife overlook stations.
IESI-BFC Ltd. ("IESI-BFC"), IESI's parent company and a leader in the North American solid waste industry, makes it a top priority to protect and enhance the environment. In 2009, the company invested $16 million in programs designed to improve the environment in its communities. These programs include wetland preservation at landfills, expansion of waste-to-energy programs, and construction of green LEED certified facilities. "Our company made tremendous advances in our commitment to the environment over the past year," said Mickey Flood, President and Chief Executive Officer of IESI. "We don't just talk about improving the environment. We act, and the results are tremendous. This is part of our commitment to our customers and our communities of achieving our goal of a greener environment."
To build on IESI's expertise in constructing and maintaining LEED certified facilities, the company is currently working on a proposal in Austin, Texas to build a LEED certified recycling facility to efficiently service the thriving city.
About IESI Corporation
IESI is a full service solid waste management company founded in Justin, Texas in 1995 with just two trucks, two drivers and one and a half routes. IESI is a subsidiary of IESI-BFC Ltd., one of North America's largest full-service waste management companies, providing non-hazardous solid waste collection and landfill disposal services for commercial, industrial, municipal and residential customers in five provinces in Canada, ten states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. To find out more about IESI-BFC Ltd., visit our website at www.iesi-bfc.com.
For more information, please contact
IESI Corporation
Terri Ricketts
Direct 469-542-8008 or Cell 214-924-4460
tricketts@iesi.com.
www.iesi-bfc.com.
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