IESI Going Green: First for North Texas in McKinney
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Congressman Sam Johnson, State Representative Ken Paxton and McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller on hand this morning for opening
McKinney Courier-Gazette
On Friday, IESI, a North Texas based leader in the U.S. solid waste industry, will unveil its new 28,000 square foot Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in McKinney. Upon the U.S. Green Building Council’s approval, this facility will be the first privately funded single-stream LEED certified Material Recycling Facility in North America.
The grand opening of the first North Texas LEED certified recycling facility will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday at 2138 Country Lane in McKinney.
To inaugurate the innovative new facility, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Congressman Sam Johnson, State Representative Ken Paxton and McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller will participate in opening ceremonies. In addition to brief remarks, area school children will assist company executives in sealing a recyclable time capsule and company CEO Mickey Flood will christen the facility with a giant truck delivering the first load of recyclables.
IESI, a leader in the U.S. solid waste industry, just unveiled its new Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in McKinney. Upon the U.S. Green Building Council’s approval, this facility will be the first privately funded single-stream LEED certified Material Recycling Facility in North America.
“This is an exciting day for not only our company and residents of North Texas, but for anyone who cares about making a difference in reducing our environmental impact,” said Mickey Flood, IESI president & CEO. “We have essentially succeeded in making recycling even greener by processing the collected materials in a state-of-the-art environmentally conscious facility. We are not just talking about being green, we are showing our dedication to the environment with our actions and investment.”
The 28,000 square foot facility will annually process more than 144 million pounds of non-hazardous materials including glass, plastic, paper, aluminum, tin and cardboard. The facility itself incorporates sustainable features such as certified wood, building materials containing recycled content, low-emitting materials, water-conserving fixtures and features to reduce the heat-island effect.
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000, and regulated by the Green Building Certification Institute, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green commercial structures.
“With the public becoming even more committed to recycling, it became apparent that we needed to expand our facilities,” said John Gustafson, IESI vice president, Texas Region. “We decided it was important to do it right and make the investment to build a LEED certified facility. Our new Material Recovery Facility more than triples our capacity. It will process collected recycled materials from residential and commercial customers across North Texas.”
The IESI McKinney MRF also houses a second-floor community room and observation deck overlooking the recycling operations area. Here, IESI invites area schools, scouting groups, after- school programs, chambers of commerce and other organizations to tour the MRF and learn about the importance of recycling. The education room also contains a time capsule filled with items individuals and businesses currently recycle.
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 now employees more than 2,700 associates and operates a fleet of more than 1,200 routed vehicles. 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 and ten U.S. states.
To find out more about IESI-BFC Ltd., visit www.iesi-bfc.com.
