Lab tech Kevin Rushton is in his element at GFL

Lab Technician Kevin Rushton was surprised to discover that the special lunch table being set up at GFL’s Debert, Nova Scotia, facility was to honor his 30-year anniversary in the waste industry.

After a lunch of submarine sandwiches and sweets, he was presented with a night on the town for his wife and himself.

“I was also recognized earlier in the year at a managers’ meeting for my contributions and for going above and beyond,” Rushton said. “I got a certificate and made the GFL Wall of Fame for 2024 at our facility.”

Rushton has spent his 30-year career working in the lab at the Debert facility which became a part of GFL in 2021.

Rushton developed a love for chemistry in high school which he continued to pursue in university. After completing his studies, he sent out his resumé to facilities with labs and took the first job offer he received.

“I started on July 11, 1994, right after I graduated from Dalhousie University in Truro,” Rushton said. “I've been in the same building ever since.”

Rushton expresses a passion for what he does, combined with an appreciation of the great team of people he works with.

“Basically, I had to learn about the lab on my own, but my coworkers are awesome, approachable people,” Rushton said. “We bounce ideas off each other.”

He and his lab partner Fernando Naranjo-Palacio are responsible for all the testing conducted in the lab. Debert receives, tests and treats wastewater from clients’ industrial processes or from other GFL operations.

The facility receives oil for recycling through a thermal process.

They also test and treat ballast water from ships, which is water that is stored in a ship’s hull to provide stability during a voyage. This water can become contaminated with bacteria, microbes, and eggs or larvae of invasive species.

The environmental benefit of what they do in the lab is something Rushton is proud of.

“The water comes in really contaminated from industry and when it leaves it's crystal clear,” Rushton said. “We discharge it to the municipality and then they treat it further so they can release it to the environment.”

One thing that Rushton is particularly proud of is that in three decades, he has never had a safety incident.

When he’s not working, Rushton enjoys a variety of interests that include spending time at the cottage, swimming, paddleboarding, off-roading, and hiking with his wife and their Miniature Pinscher, Gidget.

Congratulations on 30 years in the industry, Kevin!

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