Coming together

The Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) Conference & Tradeshow in Tampa, Florida, this January featured an array of panels, exhibitors and networking opportunities, but most importantly, it gave professionals in the construction and demolition (C&D) recycling industry a chance to come together and share ideas.

“We do not do anything in this industry that’s outside of a community, and we need to have these relationships that are critical to move forward in not just establishing your operation but to keep it going year after year,” CDRA Executive Director Andrea Johnson said.

Batteries unite associations

Leaders from the four major recycling associations took the stage to discuss how to respond to the increasing threat of battery fires plaguing the environmental services industry.

In the Jan. 29 panel titled Managing the Threat of Battery Fires, the Springfield, Illinois-based CDRA was joined by representatives from the Silver Spring, Maryland-based Solid Waste Association of North America and the Washington-based National Waste & Recycling Association and Recycled Materials Association.

Highlights from the discussion included how technology is helping facilities detect lithium-ion batteries, how to train employees on systems-based approaches, the importance of funding to assist in responding to the issue at the municipal level and how to spread public awareness about proper battery disposal.

“I appreciate having all three trade associations up here,” said John Thomas, CDRA president and managing partner at Berlin, New Jersey-based Waste & Recycling Solutions. “We need to flood the market with this education and information through every channel that all of us possibly can. … This is about a common fight that we’re all having to fight together, and we can’t do it alone.”

Companies, members honored

CDRA inducted Troy Lautenbach, president of Lautenbach Recycling, based in Mount Vernon, Washington, into its Hall of Fame to cap its Jan. 28 awards ceremony.

“I came into this organization with little experience working with others,” he said. “I was a boss building a company with Torrey [Lautenbach]. I came to conferences, then the board, then the Conference Committee as a committee chair then the EC [Executive Committee], then the president and now a Hall of Famer. I’m forever grateful for the knowledge, the skills, the professional development, the experiences [and] all the places we’ve been. It’s been so fun. … Being a leader can be lonely, but with good partners and trusting relationships, you can become bigger than yourself.”

CDRA also presented its Recycler of the Year Award to ReSource Waste Services of Salem, New Hampshire, and named Michael McCamley, vice president of global business development at New West Gypsum Recycling Inc., New Westminster, British Columbia, Member of the Year.

Seven other association members were honored with various achievement awards, while 14 companies were recognized for safety with 13 gold awards and one silver award.

Understanding people

Dave Mitchell, the founder and president of Walla Walla, Washington-based Leadership Difference Inc., delivered the opening keynote focused on using the power of understanding people to improve leadership.

Mitchell’s system divides people into four primary cognitive style schemas: romantics, warriors, experts and masterminds. The best leaders identify what kinds of cognitive schemas are present within their teams and adapt their style to inspire those individuals they work with. This tailored approach usually leads to improved results.

“Cognitive schemas are policies and procedures our brain uses to make sense out of the world,” Mitchell said. “Life experiences create cognitive schemas, which shape how they value the world—in other words, how they perceive it. ... Everybody is working from a unique set of cognitive schemas because they’ve had unique experiences in their life.”

Committee updates

Each of the CDRA committees gave an update on their various focuses, including a new tool that is free for CDRA members to access.

Bill Track 50 was introduced by the Legislative and Regulatory Committee. The centralized platform tracks legislation at the federal and state levels to compare nationwide trends in legislation, regulations and executive orders.

The Aggregates Recycling Committee, which was founded in April of last year, recently named Neil Mullan of McLanahan Corp., Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, to co-chair with Lauren Asfour of Farmingdale, New York-based Posillico Materials.

The gypsum recycling committee shared that it had completed the first two phases of its life cycle assessment program, which compares drywall recycling to landfilling. The third phase includes the development of an environmental calculator that translates the data gathered from the program into real-time decision support.

The Shingle Recycling Committee, Safety Committee and End Markets/Operations Committee also gave updates during the conference.

All CDRA members are welcome to attend committee meetings, which are held regularly throughout the year.

Session highlights

Panelists provided many valuable insights throughout the event. Some of the highlights included a discussion about end markets for recycled gypsum during a panel held Jan. 27. The panel discussed a variety of factors impacting the gypsum recycling market.

Amanda Kaminsky, founder and principal of New York-based Building Ecosystems, moderated the session and explained a key roadblock is that U.S. manufacturers do not accept postuse drywall, unlike in other countries.

Terry Weaver, president of Denver, Pennsylvania-based USA Gypsum, said manufacturers need confidence in the amount of recycled drywall available before they commit to using it.

“How can you divert that drywall from the mixed waste stream?” Weaver asked. “That’s the real question that often needs to be answered.”

Jan. 29 opened with a panel focused on engaging with the community, particularly concerning rules and regulations.

Michelle Mountjoy, rules coordinator with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Division of Materials and Waste Management, described the importance of relationships for the industry and the rulemaking authority.

A strong relationship doesn’t just help the industry; it also helps rulemakers understand their impact on businesses.

“My panel members have all spoken about being proactive, and I think that’s really important because especially in Ohio, traditionally, we’ve been more reactive when it comes to rulemaking,” Mountjoy said.

The panel focusing on landfill conservation discussed preserving landfill space for environmental and economic reasons. Matthew Petrie, market manager for Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Win Waste Innovations, discussed the difficulties of permitting a new landfill. The process can last up to four years and involve significant public opposition.

One of the biggest challenges, according to Petrie, is that social media can spread a lot of false information companies have to overcome.

The final session focused on mergers and acquisitions in the C&D space. Effram Kaplan, senior managing director and principal at Cleveland-based investment firm Brown Gibbons Lang & Co., cautioned potential sellers to look inward when considering a sale. “You’ve really got to know: Why are you doing a deal?” Kaplan said. “Why are you selling it? And that is a soul-searching process. Every business is unique. Whether it’s because of the geography they’re in, whether it is because of the vertical integration they have or do not have, every business is unique.”

The author is managing editor for Construction & Demolition Recycling and can be contacted at chsweeney@gie.net.