Facilities Engineering and Management

FACILITIES ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT


Successful waste management systems are built around facilities that have
the capacity and capabilities required to get the job done. Processing and
marketing recyclables, grinding and composting organics and compacting
and transporting waste all are engineering and management challenges that
RRSI’s facility services are designed to tackle. RRSI consultants and 
engineers are experienced in each phase of facility planning and feasibility,
equipment specification and procurement, and facility engineering and
construction management. Once up and running, RRSI’s performance and
acceptance testing procedures and continuous improvement services keep
facilities operating at peak performance. RRSI projects have included small,
medium and large scale material recovery facilities, integrated MRF and
transfer stations, yard waste and biosolids composting systems, full service
citizen solid waste and recycling drop-off centers, construction and
demolition debris processing plants, feedstock prep and process water
management systems for paper/packaging mills, and waste management
facilities for hospitals, universities and similar campus-type institutions.

City of Ann Arbor MRF/TS

RRSI procured, designed, and oversaw construction of the award-winning City of Ann Arbor integrated
MRF and Transfer Station. In its role as owner’s engineer, RRSI took this project from initial feasibility 
through to each stage of project implementation and startup including construction supervision of this 
35,000 square foot, 350 ton per day, $5.6 million facility. During the project effort, RRSI worked closely 
with the city and their selected vendor (Resource Recovery Systems/FCR) in developing the partnership 
arrangements that ensure the facility meets area resource recovery goals. RRSI accomplished the
successful MRF implementation by facilitating intergovernmental teamwork (Ann Arbor and University 
of Michigan), securing efficient pricing and design (RFQ/RFP process), careful project management 
(weekly construction management), and ongoing operational support (acceptance testing, contract 
renegotiation). This highly successful residential recycling program continues to grow around the 
capabilities of this facility.

Industrial Dunnage Recovery

RRSI prepared a feasibility level engineering, facility design, construction monitoring and startup testing
for this ongoing project for Pohang Iron and Steel Corporation, Pohang Plant, Korea. This plant, then 
the second largest integrated steel plant in the world, required a full-scale industrial recovery facility to
manage its non-steel industrial dunnage waste stream. RRSI characterized the waste stream, provided
feasibility assessment services, preliminary building and processing equipment design drawings, process
descriptions, and engineer's cost opinion for the equipment construction and installation. During
follow-up efforts RRSI supervised facility construction and start-up and acceptance testing. RRSI
successfully adapted US-developed equipment and techniques for use in this specialized setting. 
Cross-cultural training and the development of SOPs for facility use proved essential as part of this
industrial recycling effort.

Portage County MRF

As a result of RRSI’s consulting and engineering efforts, Portage County, Ohio and its solid waste
management district have the capability to efficiently process two-stream source separated recyclable
materials. RRSI’s equipment design, specification and procurement assistance secured an exceptionally
low price paid for the MRF equipment, allowing Portage to process its material for costs that are
unmatched in the region. Developing and completing the Portage MRF required innovative procurement,
continuous improvement, and a highly focused management effort. A major challenge for the project was
the efficient use of an existing transfer pit, waste baler feed, and waste baler system without requiring
significant additional investment. During the initial effort and in subsequent facility improvements RRSI
has worked with Portage County management to create a flexible and responsive facility that is one of
the finest in the area. The facility has performed profitably year-after-year despite the normal market
commodity fluctuations.

Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) Biosolids Composting

Biosolids composting is undergoing an intensive evaluation as the Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority
(YCUA) approaches completion of an 18-month pilot project. Ultimately the pilot will help YCUA determine
the viability of a full-scale composting effort. YCUA treats 22 million gallons of wastewater per day for
eight townships and one municipality, producing some 25 tons of biosolids per day. The composting pilot
plant will process 550 wet tons of biosolids through a series of 10 trials. The Authority is using an
enclosed, agitated-bay system to measure a range of operating parameters. Extensive testing is also
measuring air quality at the facility, odor control and product quality. When the pilot trials are completed
in late summer 2000, YCUA will have conducted thousands of tests at various stages of the composting
process, measuring levels of metals, volatile organic compounds, nutrients, pathogens and other
parameters. Operators are experimenting with various mixes of biosolids and amendment such as wood
chips and leaves, and carefully monitor turning schedules, pile temperatures, odor generation, aeration,
mixing and final screening and curing. Seasonal variations of material flow, operating circumstances and
potential markets for the finished compost, are being evaluated. A biofilter that processes air from the
compost facility is also being studied for its effectiveness in removing odors. The biosolids composting
pilot project will help YCUA gain direct operational experience before procuring a full-scale system,
while establishing composting as a comprehensive means of biosolids management that is both safe and
beneficial.

More Information on the YCUA Pilot.
• Project Summary • Project Results • Product Data • YCUA Web Site

Henry Ford Hospital Incinerator Shut Down and Autoclave Installation

RRSI directed design and construction efforts for this major Detroit, Michigan hospital as it
decommissioned and dismantled its medical waste incinerator. RRSI oversaw development and
implementation of a replacement system, including the installation of an autoclave for treating regulated
medical waste at Henry Ford Hospital. During the transition RRSI designed and oversaw the operation of
a temporary waste management handling program while also leading the development of numerous related
building and system improvements (e.g. loading dock repair, waste cart system improvements, 
ventilation system upgrades). RRSI services included development of new Standard Operating 
Procedures, staff training, and redesign of all associated waste handling systems. System redesign 
included procurement of new collection containers, determination of collection routes and best handling 
practices, redesign of waste compactors and the addition of recycling capability. Critical to the success
of these tasks was the integration of capital improvement and operational change. At no time did the
waste management activities in the ongoing hospital operations stop.

SOCCRA Yardwaste Composting Facility

RRSI redesigned the then largest yard waste composting facility in the State of Michigan as part of a
statewide project involving stakeholders from the local units of government,SOCRRA (a solid waste and
recycling authority in Oakland County Michigan serving 12 communities with a population of over
300,000). The project focused on the development of a comprehensive Compost Site Management
Plan that was utilized by the courts to enforce operational standards at the facility. The Site
Management Plan also defined equipment and site design parameters that required relocation of the
original composting surface to a larger, engineered composting pad, designed for all-weather access by
trucks, loaders, and windrow turners. Operational design also changed to reflect better grass
management and low odor management techniques that allowed the overall facility to reduce neighbor
complaints significantly and eliminate the threat of litigation.