Institution Recycling Network Adds Project Manager

Matthew McKinney has joined the Institution Recycling Network (IRN), Concord, N.H., as a project manager in the construction and demolition recycling sector.

McKinney is a New Hampshire native and graduate of St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y., and has a deconstruction background. Starting in 2000, he helped create a building deconstruction program at Recycle North, in Burlington, Vt. The program developed by McKinney for Recycle North has been documenting cases where deconstruction can be accomplished at a financial advantage compared to traditional demolition.

McKinney left Recycle North in 2002 to direct nationwide deconstruction initiatives for the Center for Resource Conservation in Boulder, Colo. In addition to establishing and managing the Center’s own regional deconstruction program, he helped develop and provide training to groups around the nation interested in starting their own deconstruction initiatives. He is on the board of the Used Building Materials Association.

With the IRN, McKinney will be responsible for helping to manage the company’s business in recycling materials generated at demolition, renovation and new construction sites. The IRN is currently managing more than a dozen recycling projects throughout New England representing more than 1 million square feet of construction. The IRN says it routinely recycles some two dozen different construction-related materials, reaching project recycling rates as high as 95 percent. Recycling costs for construction materials are typically much less than the cost of disposing of the material.

“We’re very fortunate to have Matt on board,” says Mark Lennon, the CEO of IRN. “Our own growth mirrors rapid expansion in construction recycling, not just for environmental benefits, but for substantial economic savings as well. Matt is one of the most experienced in the field, and his impact will be immediate.”