Tacoma Landfill's transfer center earns LEED(r) Gold certification Garbage and gold go hand in hand at the Tacoma Landfill Recovery & Transfer Center, which was just awarded LEED(r) Gold certification by the Green Building Certification Institute. An average of 165,000 tons of garbage goes through the state-of-the-art, 75,000-square-foot Recovery & Transfer Center a year. A portion of the material is recovered and recycled; the rest is trucked to the LRI Landfill in Graham. Notable elements contributing to the Recovery & Transfer Center's LEED(r) Gold certification are: * 40 percent energy cost savings with improved thermal envelope, reduced interior and exterior lighting power density, daylighting controls and on-site solar panels. * 32 percent of the building materials were manufactured using recycled materials. * 97 percent (more than 15,000 tons) of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill. Materials diverted included concrete, asphalt, steel, non-ferrous metals, wood, gypsum debris and co-mingled recyclable materials. * 51 percent reduction of water use by collecting and reusing roof rainwater for use in toilets, using low-flow plumbing fixtures and water-efficient landscaping. * 2 percent glazing factor (interior illumination) in 99.66% of all regularly-occupied spaces, using skylights, translucent panels and glazing in doors. * Indoor environment quality using increased ventilation of occupied spaces and use of low-emitting adhesives, sealants, paints, coating, carpet systems and composite wood materials. Project partners are HDR Engineering (design), JE Dunn (contractor) and JR Miller & Associates (architecture and structural engineering). About LEED(r) Gold is the second highest rating in the LEED(r) (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification program, the nationally recognized benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. For LEED(r) information, see the U.S. Green Building Council website at www.usgbc.org<http://www.usgbc.org>. About City of Tacoma Solid Waste Management Part of Public Works Environmental Services, Solid Waste Management provides garbage and recycling services for single-family residential homes, multi-family units and commercial businesses. The utility also operates a full-service landfill/transfer center, recycling center and household hazardous waste facility as well as a popular residential bulk item disposal service, Call-2-Haul. Learn more at www.TacomaRecycles.org<http://www.TacomaRecycles.org>. Elle (Michelle) Warmuth, APR City of Tacoma | Community Relations Office 733 Market St. Rm. 11 | Tacoma, WA 98402 P: (253) 591-2005 | F: (253) 591-5788