Roanoke Cement Co.’s (RCC) Troutville, Va., campus was awarded Gold certification under the TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) rating system. Administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), TRUE helps facilities define, pursue and achieve zero waste goals while becoming more resource efficient.
“Zero waste is an important part of any company’s sustainability strategy,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council and GBCI. “Through TRUE, we’re helping companies like Roanoke Cement Company enhance operations in a way that is transforming our buildings and communities and improving our quality of life.”
RCC was on its way last year when the plant earned TRUE Silver certification. “In order to elevate our TRUE Zero Waste certification, we ramped up our zero-waste policy to include, for example, physical audits of waste and improving recycling practices on-site,” said Lindsey Layman, environmental engineer. “As a result, we have created a zero-waste culture and achieved an average of 98.4% overall diversion from landfill, waste-to-energy incineration and the environment for solid, non-hazardous wastes.”
Facilities achieve certification by meeting program requirements and accruing points on an annual scorecard. Each site is then audited and must submit annual diversion data that demonstrates continuous compliance to achieve certification at four possible levels: Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum.
From 2019-2020, RCC earned an additional 21 points by tightening its practices in reuse, audit, training and local purchasing activities related to diverted materials. Diverted materials included plant waste (spilled clinker, cement or raw materials), cement kiln by-pass dust and solid municipal wastes.
“The TRUE Gold certification demonstrates the RCC team’s tireless commitment to continuously improving our recycling practices at the plant,” said Kevin Baird, president of Titan America’s Mid-Atlantic Unit. “The initiative could not be possible without the collective effort of every person at our facility. We are very proud of what we have been able to achieve together.”
