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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Linda A. Neal 717-396-5671 PENN STATE’S ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE ADDS CEILING RECYCLING TO ITS ROSTER OF ‘GREEN’ PRACTICES Program Enables University to Reclaim Old Ceilings from Renovation Projects Rather than Dumping Them in a Landfill The Pennsylvania State University’s colors are blue and white, but it is the school’s commitment to “green” building practices and other environmental strategies that is causing other colleges and universities to take notice. “We’re not trying to change the world here, just our part of it,” states Graham Spanier, President of Penn State. “But, we do want to take a leadership role in this effort nationally and globally.” The school’s commitment is embodied in a unique program called the Environmental Stewardship Initiative. Managed by Steve Maruszewski, Deputy Associate Vice President for the Office of Physical Plant, and comprised of a team of ten managers and directors that cuts across university functions, the Initiative has as one of its objectives to move the university toward more sustainable practices. And, to help achieve that objective, the Initiative has identified as one of its seven goals to minimize solid waste production by enhancing policies and processes that reduce solid waste generation through reduction, reuse and recycling. The newest process to be implemented as part of that goal is participation in the Ceiling Recycling Program conducted by Armstrong Ceilings, the country’s largest manufacturer of acoustical ceiling systems. Recycling Program Involves Four Steps The program, which is the nation’s first and longest running program of its kind, enables building owners to ship old ceilings from renovation projects to an Armstrong ceiling plant as an alternative to landfill disposal. Under the program, -more- -2Armstrong even pays freight costs for shipping the old tiles, which it uses as raw materials in the manufacture of new tiles. Since it introduced the program in 1999, Armstrong has recycled over 35,000,000 square feet of discarded ceiling tiles. This represents nearly 24,500,000 pounds or 5,000 30-cubic-yard dumpsters full of construction waste that would have normally been dumped in landfills. The program involves four steps. First, provisions for ceiling recycling should be included in the project specifications. Second, building owners need to verify with Armstrong that their old ceiling tiles can be recycled. The old tiles do not have to be Armstrong products to qualify for the program. Following verification, owners must stack their old ceiling tiles on pallets and wrap them for pick-up. Once there is a full trailer load (30,000-square-feet), the owner simply needs to contact Armstrong, which will then arrange for a truck to pick up the material and transfer it to its nearest manufacturing facility. Ceiling Recycling Is a ‘Natural’ Fit According to Al Matyasovsky, Supervisor of Central Support Services at Penn State, the decision to recycle old ceilings was an easy one because it was such a “natural” fit into the university’s overall program. “We are extremely sensitive to environmental responsibility here at Penn State, and are always looking for ways to divert materials from the waste stream,” he states. “We already had processes in place to recycle traditional items such as cans, bottles and paper, as well as non-traditional items such as pallets, motor oil, scrap metal and other types of construction debris,” he continues. “As a result, recycling ceilings was an easy and simple addition since we didn’t really have to do anything differently other than the handling.” Chet DeFurio, Manager of Renovation Services at Penn State, agrees. “The process has worked out much faster and better than I ever anticipated,” he says. “I think once our crews saw the sheer bulk of material that wasn’t going to the landfill, they quickly realized the environmental benefits.” -more- -3Recycling Offers Alternative to Landfill The first major project to include ceiling recycling is the remodeling of the campus’s Business Administration Building (BAB). Built in 1973, the eight-story building houses a variety of offices and classrooms used by students, faculty and administration. It is currently vacant as a result of the construction of a new BAB building nearby. “Now that everyone has moved out, it gives us the opportunity to remodel and upgrade the entire facility for re-use,” Matyasovsky says. Included in the demolition stage of the remodeling is the recycling of such construction waste as the metal casings from old light fixtures, metal ceiling grid, electrical conduit, and nearly 50,000 square feet of old 2’x 4’ acoustical ceiling tiles. “In the past, our only alternative was to send the discarded tiles to the landfill,” Matyasovsky continues. “Today, by participating in the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program, we’re able to divert all that material from the waste stream.” Small Projects Also Included in Program He also notes that a project does not have to be a large one to recycle old ceiling tiles. “Our position has always been that responsible waste management is not one ton or two tons at a time. It’s one aluminum can at a time, one plastic bottle at a time, and now one ceiling tile at a time. Consequently, regardless of whether we’re remodeling an entire building or a single classroom, we’ll recycle ceilings whenever we can.” According to Matyasovsky, the key to the smaller jobs has been the ability to consolidate the old tiles. “We knew how to remove the tiles and get them out of the building,” he says. “But, we didn’t know where we would store them.” To solve this problem, Armstrong keeps a trailer centrally parked at the campus as an accumulation point to facilitate the process. As tiles are removed, they are simply loaded into it. Once the trailer is full, it is hauled away and replaced with an empty one. -more- -4Recycling Can Be Less Costly than Dumping Time analyses show that the process for recycling ceilings is nearly as fast as dumping them, so the program has little, if any, adverse impact on demolition schedules. It can also be less costly than the cost of handling, transport, container and landfill fees. In the case of Penn State, Matyasovsky notes that while it is still too early to definitively conduct a cost analysis, he believes the time and cost of stacking and wrapping the discarded tiles is about the same as that of hauling them to the transfer site. Where he believes savings will be achieved is in the elimination of the local tipping fee, which is nearly $60 per ton. “The tiles also contribute to our county recycling report,” he adds. “And, this is important because as our recycling tonnage goes up and our refuse tonnage goes down, we can qualify for additional grant money from the state, which helps support our total recycling program.” However, while cost is a consideration, it is, by no means, the only one. “As a university, we want to remove as much as we can from the waste stream, and recycling ceilings is just one more example,” Matyasovsky concludes. “This was an excellent opportunity and we wanted to take full advantage of it.” 11/06 # # # Photo Captions: Recycle Image #PSU (Building exterior): The first major project on the Penn State campus to include ceiling recycling is the remodeling of the school’s Business Administration Building (shown here). Recycle Image #1 (Removing ceiling tiles): Old ceiling tiles from the Business Administration Building are being reclaimed as part of the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program rather than being dumped in a landfill. Recycle Image #2 (Stacking ceiling tiles): Following removal from the ceiling, old tiles are stacked on pallets. The old ceiling tiles do not have to be Armstrong products to qualify for the program. Recycle Image #3 (Wrapping ceiling tiles): Once stacked, the tiles are shrink wrapped for pick-up. Since it introduced the program in 1999, Armstrong has recycled over 35,000,000 square feet of discarded ceiling tiles. Recycle Image #4 (Loading ceiling tiles): Once there is a full trailer load of old ceilings, Armstrong will arrange for a truck to pick up the material and transfer it to its nearest manufacturing facility. # # #