Recycling saves big green

  • Published
  • By to the Drop Zone
Recent budget reductions have put limits on several contracts important to the daily operations of Little Rock Air Force Base. One of these contracts is the trash removal contract. 

Under the new trash removal contract, number of dumpsters and frequency they are emptied have been reduced. 

"This year's cost for removing refuse for the base has doubled from the previous year," said Lynn Shaw, 314th Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Flight Pollution Prevention program manager. "The volume or tonnage of solid waste has also increased at base-wide trash collection points. More trash equals problems with dumpsters over flowing due to less pick ups. 

One way everyone can help is by recycling more at the Base Recycle Center at 1568 Lachmund Drive, said Ron Love, 314th Civil Engineer Squadron Environmental Flight Chief. 

"Every item we can recycle equals less trash in dumpsters that get full quickly now and get dumped less often," said Mr. Love. "Daily visual surveillance and random checks by contract monitors have revealed dumpsters filled with cardboard boxes and other recyclable materials."

"This is a potential Environmental, Safety, Occupational Health, Compliance Assessment Management Program violation and also deprives the base of the opportunity to sell the cardboard or recyclable material for a profit," said Mr. Love.

Making "green" choices are not only environmentally friendly, but are a financially responsible. In 2006, the base paid an average of $165.87 per ton for refuse disposal. By comparison, it only cost the base $99.00 per ton to recycle. Without recycling our refuse disposal bill would have been $299,916 higher!

"To sum it all up, if we recycle, we save ourselves disposal issues and make money to support the Recycling Center," said Mr. Shaw. "If we toss everything in the trash, we pay the trash contractor more bucks and the Recycling Center loses money."

All it requires is people taking the extra effort of separating recyclables from true trash.

"We are seeing some recycle dumpsters getting regular trash like dirty diapers and other non recyclable items," said Mr. Shaw. "That needs to stop and can stop with everyone's help. Recycling is easy."

Mr. Shaw said another way people can help save money is by not dumping their personal and household trash in base dumpsters."

"Base dumpsters are for facility-generated waste," said Mr. Shaw. "Most people have disposal service where they live. The added garbage from outside sources strains our budget and limited disposal capacity."

The Recycling Center accepts many items including paper, cardboard, paper board boxes (cereal and soda boxes), scrap metal, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, shopping bags, toner cartridges, wire, cooking oils and grease, rechargeable and lead acid batteries and glass. Items that are not taken include furniture, mattresses, household items or containers with any type of fluid in them.

The center offers drive thru service 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Pickups of large quantities of material, such as moving boxes, can be arranged by calling the facility. The after-hour containers found at the Base Exchange, Commissary, Small Base Lake and outside the Base Recycling Center are for individuals only. Base squadrons are required to drive to the facility during normal business hours for all drop offs.

For more information, call the Recycling Center staff at 987-6611.