MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center earns LEED gold certification

The Michigan State University Surplus Store and Recycling Center has earned the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification.

Gold certification is the second-highest designation offered by the USGBC. Two other MSU buildings have earned LEED silver certification: The Kellogg Biological Station dairy facility and the Chemistry Building addition.

Opened in September 2009, the center contains a number of green features, including recycled green glass, which is mixed in the concrete around the building. Rainwater collection provides 60 percent of filtered gray water for toilets, urinals and power washers. Rooftop solar panels produce 10 percent of the building's electricity.

"This was a fantastic team effort by all, and I want to thank our design and construction team for their participation, persistence, collaboration and continued support of the project," said Lynda Boomer, an energy and environmental engineer with MSU's Power Plant.

"I was very excited because all along we were striving for silver certification," said Chris Burns, construction manager for the project.

Burns said earning gold certification showed him that focusing on the additional details of the design paid off.

"It validated all the extra efforts we put into the project as a team. We couldn't have achieved it without each group stepping up and playing a role in the project."

Located off of Farm Lane on campus, the center accommodates three times the amount of materials as the former MSU recycling facility.

With its comprehensive design, the MSU Surplus Store emulates the facility's sustainable practices by encouraging faculty, staff, students and community members to reuse. The Surplus Store handles used university property from a multiple departments and facilitates sale or donation of materials, reducing waste.

Inventory includes items such as office and residence hall furniture, lab equipment and supplies, vehicles, computers, farm equipment and books.

A comprehensive recycling program, coupled with the facility, has allowed the university to expand recycling collection in 553 buildings on campus. The five target materials are white paper, mixed office paper, newspaper, cardboard, and plastics.

The 74,000-square-foot center houses the MSU Surplus Store, recycling operations, offices, and education center; storage areas for compost and metal scrap; a truck scale; and space for roll-off and semi-trailer storage containers.

In May the center earned the Recycler of the Year award from the Michigan Recycling Coalition, one of the state's top nonprofit groups working to advance resource-conservation issues.