The Reclamation series pushes the envelope for their entire manufacturing operation at their Hornell, New York facility. Company engineers have created an internal closed-loop system that traps all of the factory’s waste glaze sludge. A proprietary method allows them to reformulate that sludge into a recycled glaze that comes in twelve colors.

Trikeenan CEO Kristin Powers speaks of the Boneyard Brick collection as “a very exciting collaboration between Metropolitan Ceramics and Trikeenan.” Metropolitan Ceramics, based in Canton, Ohio, is a large provider of thin brick for pre-cast construction. They quarry the clay in Ohio, and any bricks that do not meet the stringent requirements are sent to the factory’s on-site “bone yard.” Brick veneer must be perfectly uniform in shape. Any variation in the veneer plane can allow water or moisture to be trapped between the brick and substrate. During winter months, if that moisture freezes it can pop or break the veneer. Trikeenan takes these scrap bricks, transports them to their Hornell, NY facility (just three hours away) and applies the reconstituted glazed from their Reclamation collection. The resulting line is therefore a post- industrial recycled product: 100% post- industrial waste brick, and 95% post- industrial recycled glaze. When you

consider the fact that these tiles do not off-gas (the glaze is water-based), any New England project pursuing LEED certification could earn credits on several levels with this product.

One of the most exciting aspects of these new lines is the creative and innovate thought process that launched them. Each line approaches the concept of waste from a completely different perspective, re-conceptualizing it as a nutrient for beautiful materials: components are at various levels recycled, reclaimed, repurposed, non- toxic and locally cultivated. The resulting products reduce the need to use virgin natural resources, and the manufacturing process incorporates technological processes that have been re-imagined to promote sustainability. It’s a great story.

The secondary reason for my visit was to shop their stock of reject and overrun tile for a friend’s kitchen remodel project. It was difficult to narrow down field tile options, but one small 2” x 2” accent tile immediately caught my attention. The finish on these tiles was unusually blotchy and irregular. Kristin explained that sometimes the glaze skids off the tile