EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University celebrated the opening of its new Surplus Store and Recycling Center in a grand opening celebration on Sept. 10.
The new facility is located on MSU’s campus off Service Road, just east of the T.B. Simon Power Plant.
The $13 million facility will accommodate three times the amount of materials as the former MSU recycling facility. A comprehensive recycling program, coupled with the facility, will allow 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 facility emphasizes the reuse and recycling functions that are critical to keeping waste out of the landfill,” said Ruth Daoust, manager of the facility.
The 74,000-square-foot center will house 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.
The facility has been submitted for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification.
While the center is being constructed to help the university reduce, reuse and recycle, the building construction itself incorporates several “green” features.
An MSU alumnus who owns a glass recycling company has donated a recycled green glass table to be used in the center’s conference room and a counter top in the Education Center.
Additionally, concrete around the building includes recycled green glass within the mix, replacing 15 percent of the original cement. This substitution strengthens the concrete and allows for a more energy-efficient production process.
Other green features include:
- Rainwater collection tanks on the roof of the building that will provide water for toilets, urinals and power washers.
- Rooftop solar array panels that will produce 10 percent of the electricity for the building.
- Broad use of day lighting throughout the facility through large numbers of windows.
- Motion sensors to control lights within high-traffic areas.
- Low-flow fixtures in restrooms.
- Recycled green-glass counter tops.
To find the Surplus Store and Recycling Center, from Harrison Road, take Service Road to Recycling Road east of the T.B. Simon Power Plant. Volunteers will guide travelers to parking.
To learn more about MSU’s recycling initiatives and programs, visit www.bespartangreen.msu.edu.
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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.