June 10, 2013
The Recycling Certification Institute Is Formed
We’re happy to welcome in Stephen Bantillo as the new Executive Director of the RCI. Check out their site here.
The nation's leading environmental consultancy for the certification of C&D Material Recycling Facilities.
Accountable Recycling Options, LLC or “ARO” is a certified evaluation body of the Recycling Certification Institute (RCI). In the Spring of 2012, ARO was responsible for completing the very first third-party evaluation of a material recycling facility per the Institute for Certification of Sustainable Recyclers (ICSR) standards.
The Construction & Demolition (C&D) recycling industry is developing at an incredible rate due to the implementation of green building practices and the public’s understanding of the substantial amounts of refuse that exists in C&D projects. The goal of ARO is to ensure that full transparency and accountability exists within this market and to continue the growth of the sustainable building industry, which we believe is at a crucial moment in its history. ARO is continuously working towards the betterment of evaluation procedures and the implementation of MRF certification in cities, nationwide. ARO may contract directly with MRFs that wish to demonstrate their legitimacy to the public, or through third-party organizations and government municipalities.
The regulations of many certification standards are quite extensive. Before beginning the certification process, many MRFs seek the guidance of a non-biased environmental consultancy. ARO can ensure that your facility is within the certification criteria on inspection day and keep you from having to pay to repeat portions of the certification process. If you are a material recycling facility, hauling company, transfer station, or landfill and are interested in an audit of your companies’ current recycling procedures, ARO can perform a cost analysis of your current workflow and help develop methods that may yield a higher rate of recycling along with an increase in return of investment.
Consisting of a team of experts with various engineering, architectural, and sustainability backgrounds, ARO can help you achieve your sustainability goals. Currently, many cities are looking to adopt their own certification criteria. ARO can bring our experience to policy-makers to ensure that the entire industry moves forward together. If you are a representative of your local USGBC chapter, Department of Public Works, Sustainability Department, Department of Environment, or similar entity, feel free to contact one of our experts with any questions you might have. If we don’t have an answer for you, we’ll know where to find it.
We’re happy to welcome in Stephen Bantillo as the new Executive Director of the RCI. Check out their site here.
The District tops the list of “states” in number of new LEED certifications. No doubt it’s due to the large number of federal buildings in such a small space. Regardless, it’s something to be proud of! Read it here on the USGBC website.
There’s been much talk of the Green Building Act of 2006 ever since DC passed the Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Accountability Act of 2012. Here’s a pdf of the original bill for reference.
C&D World picked up the story of D.C.’s recently passed Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Accountability Act of 2012. The act is a step in the right direction and requires that all C&D waste “shall use a certified facility for waste disposal and materials recovery.” Great work D.C.! Read the full article here.
Everyone knows that Portland, OR leads the way with environmental initiatives. As the rest of us try to catch up, lets learn from their mistakes… especially when it comes to how our city smells! Read it here on the New York Times’s site.
Just as D.C. grabs the title of having more building square feet per capita certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as enviro-friendly than any state in the nation, Lydia DePillis uncovers that much of the waste isn’t making it to the recycling bin. Read the full article at the Washington City Paper website here.
According to this New York Times article, New York City now recycles only about 15 percent of the waste collected by the Sanitation Department, down from a peak of 23 percent in 2001. Read it here.
The EPA Green Building Workgroup performed a statistical summary of the impact that buildings have on the environment. See page 6 for issues of particular interest to the C&D Industry. PDF
Accountable Recycling Options, LLC
2032 Belmont Road NW 603
Washington, DC 20010