Recycling - Best Practices
2004 Winners and Honorable Mentions

2004

Department of Defense, Tinker Air Force Base; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: "Rejuvenation of Base Recycling Program at Tinker AFB"
   Tinker Air Force Base (AFB)'s solid waste/recycling team revised its stagnant recycling program to become a comprehensive success. Previously, Tinker AFB fell below the DOD's mandated solid waste goals of 40 percent diversion (recycle/ reuse). The base made administrative changes and undertook new activities in order to revive and expand the program. First, the team changed white paper recycling from the base refuse contractor to the base Qualified Recycling Program. It was determined that the contractor had little incentive to ensure that paper was recycled.
   Focusing on white paper, Tinker purchased new collection containers that differed in color from the regular bins so that both base members and community members were aware of the new recycling effort. This purchase paid off because white paper recycling increased by 120 percent, which returned $3,000 per month in recycling revenue.
   The team also worked to increase recycling in base family housing by creating a written recycling policy, purchasing new, color-coded curbside collection bins for various recyclables, and distributing information flyers to base residents. It is now part of base housing procedures that bins are returned when residents leave the base, to ensure that bins will be available for each housing unit. The team also tracked participating and encouraged non-participants to recycle.
   The team took similar steps to increase container and corrugated recycling in the workplace. It is now mandatory that white paper and corrugated be recycled in all base industrial facilities. In addition, posters and information tri-folds remind employees to recycle. Recycling is also included in base training programs.
   Also, Tinker's solid waste/recycling team expanded its recycling efforts to include wooden pallet recycling and construction and demolition debris recycling. Pallets are refurbished or recycled by an off-site contractor, saving Tinker avoided disposal costs. The team worked closely with base civil engineering and contracting personnel to add a recycling requirement to base construction contracts. As part of this effort, the team developed construction waste specifications to ensure tracking and recycling whenever possible.
   Overall, the solid waste diversion rate has increased from approximately 30 percent to 47 percent, which is well above the DOD's goal.
   For more information please contact, Trudi Logan, 405-734-5199, Trudi.Logan@tinker.af.mil.

Department of Defense, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California: "Vandenberg AFB QRP Exceeds 90% Diversion Rate"
   Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB) is striving towards a "closed loop" solid waste management system. The current system achieves a 92.9 percent diversion rate and saves $2.2 million each year. To improve upon this already impressive program, Vandenberg AFB is implementing a management strategy that entails affirmative procurement initiatives, waste audits, proactive application of recycling opportunities, and an aggressive community outreach program. This AFB has been working with the Santa Barbara County Multi-Jurisdictional Solid Waste Joint Task Force (SWJTF) in order to design a 40-year solid waste management plan. In order to make the waste management plan successful for both the SWJTF and the base, Vandenberg encourages personnel buy-in on supporting recycling and reuse.
   Beginning with the elementary schools and expanding to the AFB residents, Vandenberg AFB has provided numerous opportunities for recycling education. Officials at Vandenberg AFB have collaborated with the Federal prison system -- which contributed 50 percent of the waste in the area - and elementary schools. The base program also worked with contractors and architects in order to reuse demolition "waste." In fact, the base even developed a deconstruction manual to facilitate the reuse of construction and demolition debris. The pervasive educational efforts encouraged many facilities to recycle, but the Base even went further in order to encourage those who still were not recycling. The Base formed a monthly Waste Audit Program that analyzes the recycling practices of a station and then informs the station as to how their efforts can be improved.
   The four main recycling programs include concrete asphalt processing, green waste reuse project, household battery collection program, and the reuse of bio-remediated soil for land reclamation.
   For more information contact Patrick Maloy at 805-605-0544 or patrick.maloy@vandenberg.af.mil.

Honorable Mentions

Department of Defense, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas: "Build Better Mouse Traps"
   Randolph AFB wants to increase its diversion rate to 100 percent from the current 44 percent. In order to obtain this elevated goal, Randolph AFB is committing to a 4-step program that includes: awareness, accessibility, acceptance, and partnering.
   First, the base spreads awareness through annual training that includes a section on recycling and affirmative procurement. Second, in order to make recycling easier for individuals who already recycle and encourage non-participants to recycle, the base installed 24 hour/ 7 day a week recycling drop off sites. As a result, household recycling increased by over 200 percent in the first 6 months of the program. The average person is fairly busy, so whenever accessibility can be improved it improves recycling. Third, Randolph created user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing recycling facilities and distributed them widely across the base in order to gain acceptance of recycling. This program was so successful that the limited revenue was not able to keep up with the demand for these recycling containers. Thus, the base purchased additional containers composed of recycled content themselves to further support recycling and procurement. The extensive availability of containers increased the recycling of aluminum cans by 200 percent and initiated the recycling of glass and plastic bottles.
   The base also partnered with various entities. For example, the base recycling program provides on-base construction contractors with environmental advice and recycling services at no cost. These services are voluntary; however, there are incentives to participate so that contractors are encouraged to recycle construction waste. The program offers roll-off dumpsters for either scrap metal or corrugated containers free of charge. The contractor thus avoids both landfill tipping fees and recyclables collection fees. Additionally, the recycling program allows the contractor to keep the recycling revenue from the recycled construction debris. Randolph AFB has had an influential effect on its contractors; in 2003, more than 260 tons of construction-related scrap metal was recycled, which amounted to $3,200 in positive revenue. Also, corrugated recycling increased by 30 percent in just one year.
   For additional information contact John Wildie at 210-652-5624, john.wildie@randolph.af.mil.

General Services Administration, Great Lakes Region; Chicago, Illinois: "Recycling E-Mammoths- The Federal Electronics Challenge"
   The GSA Great Lakes Region created an electronics-recycling program in order to dispose of more than 8 tons of scrap electronics that had accumulated in three buildings for more than 15 years. GSA focused on recycling because landfilling was unavailable. After becoming a pilot participant in the Federal Electronics Challenge, the GSA region looked extensively at transportation and recycling options in order to find a way to recycle the old electronics at minimal cost and with very limited resources. The region ultimately entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with UNICOR (Federal Prison Industries), under which UNICOR would recycle the electronic scrap if GSA paid for the transportation costs.
   After significant research into transportation options, GSA was able to transport the used electronics for $2,550. This agreement saved GSA and its tenants $2,500-6,000 in disposal fees. After this recycling success, GSA plans to continue to offer recycling to its tenants and to expand the program to other cities in the region.
   For more information, please contact Karen Lamazzi at 217-492-4277, karen.lamazzi@gsa.gov.

Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Illiana Health Care System; Danville, Illinois: "Computers for Kids Program"
   The Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System (VAIHCS) has achieved 100 percent computer equipment recycling for 5 years. This feat has saved at least $15,000 and benefited the local community. Executive Order 12999, "Educational Technology, Ensuring Opportunity for All Children," allows Federal facilities to donate used computers. The VAIHCS donates its equipment to schools, veterans groups, and other approved entities.
   To ensure security and privacy, the VAIHCS sanitizes all hard drives, tracks assets, and deinstalls each computer. According to The National Electronics Product Stewardship Initiative (NEPSI), the disposition, which includes the sanitization, tracking, and deinstallation, of each PC costs $30 unless additional service work is required. Throughout this process of electronic recycling accountability is emphasized so that all computer equipment can be tracked down if necessary.
   For more information, contact Sharon Ricketts Williams, (217) 554-5667, Sharon.Williams3@med.va.gov.

Department of Defense, Marine Corps Recruit Depot; Parris Island, South Carolina: "A Prosperous QRP at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island"
   The Marine Corps Recruit Depot maintains an extensive recycling program that has expanded from simply recycling corrugated boxes to recycling almost everything that can be recycled. Their program includes mixed paper, aluminum, steel, grease, scrap metal, glass, plastics, brass shell casings, pallets, toner cartridges, electronics, used oil, oil filters, tires, landscape debris, batteries, C & D debris, and textiles. The most impressive growth in recycling has been in the textile effort. Recycling textiles has increased by 865 percent, which diverts more than 17 tons of recyclable material from the waste stream.
   Parris Island found further recycling success with used oil, through participation in the Give Oil For Energy Recovery (GOFER) program. In this program, Parris Island collects used oil, diesel fuels, and hydraulic and transmission fluids so that they can be reused to generate electricity.
   Parris Island gained support for its recycling effort by attracting community members. Convenient and brightly colored recycling receptacles were placed strategically around the base in order to urge people to recycle. Also, the recycling program uses personal attention, such as an employee walking through the workplace in order to find recyclables that did not make it in the bins.
   Finally, the recycling program has been extended to housing efforts at Parris Island. When a new housing project was being discussed and planned, a number of old houses were in the way. However, instead of demolishing them, the base relocated them so that families that need housing could reuse these houses.
   For more information please contact Kathleen Stiles at 843-228-2080, or Kathleen.stiles@usmc.mil.

Department of Defense, Patuxent River Naval Air Station; Patuxent River, Maryland: "Pax River NAS Recycling: A Model Program"
   The recycling program at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station involves marketing, education, outreach, and operational partnerships, in order to obtain effective results. This station recycles more than 30 different commodities, including construction and demolition debris. Through extensive marketing techniques, this program targets education in order to persuade the community to recycle. Educational messages and stories are distributed throughout cultural media like television, magazines, newspapers, and monthly meetings. In fact, new base assignees are required to attend a meeting in order to learn about the recycling efforts.
   After educating the community about the importance of recycling, the Patuxent Station recycling program organized curb-side recycling pick-up and established three 24-hour satellite location collections for convenience.
   Patuxent has worked with local government agencies to obtain win-win results. For example, in a partnership with Calvert County, Patuxent provides the county with wooden pallets in exchange for the county's corrugated material. Patuxent processes the corrugated materials in order to receive the recycling revenue. Thus, both partners gain value from the relationship. In a partnership with St. Mary's County, Patuxent gives the county its yard and timber waste to process into mulch, in exchange for purchasing the mulch to use for landscaping needs. St. Mary's County gains a profit, and Patuxent avoids paying disposal fees.    For more information, please contact Christopher Hill at 301-342-4687 or Christopher.m.hill@navy.mil.

2003

Department of the Interior, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge; Sasabe, Arizona: "Standard Operations Procedures for Refuge Procurement and Waste Management"
   The Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Southwestern Arizona developed a waste prevention and recycling program that has grown from a one-person detail to one that involves all refuge personnel. The recycling operation began modestly, collecting office materials such as paper, soda cans, glass, and plastics but now has expanded to include batteries, oil, solvents, used tires, and oil and fuel filters. In the eight-month span between April 2000 and December 2000, the refuge went from recycling 17 percent of its generated waste to recycling 40 percent. Since 2000, the refuge has removed and recycled 11 tons of scrap metal, five tons of office materials, 1,200 pounds of aluminum, 700 pounds of plastic, 50 bicycles, and 30 tires. These efforts could not be made possible without the innovative use of community volunteers who participate in recycling efforts through planning, administrative, and collection contributions.
   For more information about the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge's recycling efforts, contact Bernard Freeman at bernie_freeman@fws.gov, (505) 248-7956.

Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: "EPA Region III eCycling Pilot"
   In a novel public-private partnership, EPA Region 3 teamed up with electronics manufacturers to recycle residential electronics as part of a pilot program in the Mid-Atlantic states. The project, dubbed eCycling, began in October 2000 when Region 3 began collaborating with state environmental agencies and the electronics industry to devise a program encouraging consumers to recycle end-of-life computers and televisions. Old electronics are the fastest growing segment of municipal waste and contain large amounts of lead, mercury, and other materials that can harm human health and the environment.
   Region 3 launched eCycling in October 2001; 46 collection events were sponsored in 35 jurisdictions. The pilot program diverted 2,500 tons of electronics from landfills, including 22,000 cathode ray tubes-the single largest source of contaminants in electronics. EPA plans to operate the eCycling pilot for one more year and is seeking to add additional industrial partners.
   For more information about the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 3 eCycling Pilot Program, contact Claudette Reed at reed.claudette@epa.gov, (215) 814-3114.

2002

Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation Central California Office; Folsom, California: "New Melones Lake Recycling Programs"
   New Melones Lake in Sonora, California is a popular recreational site that is visited by almost 820,000 people a year. Park staff educate visitors about the benefits of recycling and use an in-house/employee recycling program that reduced solid waste by almost 40 percent through the collection of cardboard, aluminum, paper, and plastics. Through a grant issued to New Melones Lake from the California Department of Conservation, ten pairs of recycling bins with high visibility posts were placed throughout the recreation areas, campgrounds, and the Visitor Center.
   Groups such as the Boy Scouts of America and the Solid Waste Division of Calaveras County, participated in recycling efforts for the park. The Boy Scouts collected 8,516 pounds of recycled aluminum cans, glass, and plastic bottles from the recreation area during the summers of 2000 and 2001, raising more than $1,000 for their organization. After the Solid Waste Division of Tuolumne County provided 20 two-barrel sets for recycling, park staff mobilized students and parents at the Sierra Waldorf School to collect the contents. More than $200 worth of recyclables was collected, with the monies to be used towards the class's field trip fund.
   For more information on New Melones Lake Recycling Programs, please contact Ms. Michelle Prowse, mprowse@mp.usbr.gov or by phone at: 916-978-5036.

2001

General Services Administration; Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: "Recycling Construction Waste at the New EPA Campus, Research Triangle Park"
   The massive construction of the EPA's Research Triangle Park Campus created huge amounts of waste, much of which was reused and/or recycled. The recovery rate for materials being used was over 85% and more than 6500 tons of waste was diverted from the landfill. Recycling efforts diverted more than 500 tons of wood, 389 tons of gypsum wallboard, 50 tons of cardboard, 4,000 tons of masonry, and 500 tons of scrap metal from the landfills, and contributed to a recovery rate in excess of 85 percent. The construction contract agreements required the contractors to prepare, submit, and document a waste management plan indicating how they planned to collect, segregate, recycle, and dispose of all construction wastes generated.
   For more information, contact Debra Yap, debra.yap@gsa.gov, 202-501-4373.

Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, Office of the Western Regional Service; Menlo Park, California: "USGS Menlo Park Supply Exchange and Related Projects"
   The U.S. Geological Survey facility in Menlo Park, California, provides an example of how a facility can work to preserve and ensure a healthy environment through recycling. Through the efforts of the staff , the Menlo Park "Supply Exchange" has helped employees for the last five years to drop-off and pick-up unwanted, but still usable, office, field, and laboratory supplies. Materials such as maps, books, scientific journals, furniture, laboratory casework, and even rock samples have been diverted to second uses either within the Geological Survey or at various educational facilities. Through the Menlo Park initiatives, the facility has avoided disposal fees and the costs of purchasing new equipment.
   For more information, contact Bill Miller, 703-648-7552.

Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office; Richland, Washington: "Hanford's Waste Reduction Through Process Changes in Maintenance of Submarine Reactor Compartments"
   The Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Recycling Program in Washington saved $1.3 million in 2000 by recycling more than 1,600 metric tons of waste and donating nearly $350,000 worth of computers, printers, monitors, copiers, and other office and lab equipment to schools both within and outside the State of Washington. In a recent partnership with DYNCorps, the Wireless Foundation, and Motorola, Hanford helped donate close to 100 wireless phones and accessories to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, so that victims could call 911 in case of an emergency.
   For more information, contact Anna V. Beard, Anna_V_Beard@doe.gov, 509-376-7472.

Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Oak Ridge, Tennessee: "Teaming to Recycle Surplus Electronics Across the DOE Complex"
   Oak Ridge Electronics Recycling Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee has initiated a successful recycling partnership. In a joint effort between DOE Oak Ridge and the local Community Reuse Organization, tons of obsolete electronics with hazardous components are being turned into a profitable commodity. This unique relationship has resulted in the recycling of nearly 1,200 metric tons of electronics and the development of a new electronics recycling industry in the area. The Recycling Center has saved DOE $1.3 million in only one year.
   For more information, contact Richard Meehan, meehanrw@oro.doe.gov, 865-576-2598.

2000

Department of Energy, Los Alamos National Laboratory; Los Alamos, New Mexico
   Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) annually receives approximately 600 tons of mail, much of which is unsolicited material that has routinely ended up in a landfill as sanitary trash. The LANL mailroom staff has implemented an ongoing program to collect and recycle more than 35 percent of this unwanted material (such as books, transparencies, flyers, brochures, catalogs, binders, colored paper, and folders) at virtually no cost by integrating its retrieval into the existing on-site mail delivery system. The easily replicable program collects more than 200 metric tons of material annually for recycling, saves LANL $140,000 in annual disposal costs, significantly reduces the amount of material discarded in the local landfill, and helps LANL meet contractual operating requirements.
   For more information, contact Eleanor Chapman, eleanorc@lanl.gov, 505-665-4651.

Department of Energy, Fernald; Ohio and Oak Ridge, Tennessee: "The Copper Wire and Windings Project"
   Rather than bury 1,340 tons of contaminated copper wire and windings from the Fernald site, the DOE Oak Ridge and Ohio field offices and a commercial company worked together to develop an innovative recycling alternative that saved DOE a total of $7.3 million in disposal and cleanup costs, accelerated cleanup at the two sites, and led to the establishment of a permanent metals treatment facility with 20 new jobs.
   For more information, contact Alisa Rhodes, Alisa_Rhodes@fernald.gov, 513-648-4968.

1999

Department of Justice, Federal Prison Industries; FCI Marianna, Florida and FCI Elkton, Ohio: "UNICOR Computer Demanufacturing/Recycling"
   FCI in Florida and Ohio started a pilot in 1997 wherein excess/obsolete/scrap computers could be accepted, sorted, collected, and demanufactured. The resulting parts and components were then sold for reuse and/or recycling. From this pilot, UNICOR has become a useful resource in the collection, separation, and processing stages of computer and other electronics recycling. The program has prevented millions of pounds of electronics from being deposited into the landfill by processing the materials and reinserting them into spheres that find further use in them.
   For more information, contact Larry Novicky, 202-305-3732.

Department of the Interior, Yosemite Park Lodge, Yosemite National Park, California: "Management of Deconstruction and Salvaging of Flooded Buildings"
   Yosemite National Park's "built environment" suffered extensive damage due to flooding in 1997. Instead of contracting out, Kim Slininger suggested that Yosemite hire and train locals to carry out the deconstruction of these damaged buildings. The hired crew quickly organized a deconstruction methodology for dismantling the buildings, sorting the materials (metals, ceramics, wood, etc.), and stockpiling recycled materials for future reuse. When compared to the contractor's original price proposal, the cost effectiveness of Mr. Slininger's plan was clear. Not only did this crew accomplish the building removal for less than a demolition contractor would have charged, but the crew also recycled a greater amount of building materials to provide a stockpile of reusable materials worth approximately $70,000.
   For more information, contact Kim Slininger, kim_slininger@nps.gov, 209-372-0545.

Department of Transportation, United States Coast Guard Headquarters; Washington, DC: "Advancement of Environmental Stewardship in Coast Guard Naval Engineering"
   The Support Center Pollution Prevention (P2) Committee has developed and initiated numerous multi-media P2 projects and activities that have resulted in a much cleaner and healthier environment for the 1228 active duty and civilian personnel employed throughout the base. Support Center Elizabeth City developed a Qualified Recycling Program (QRP) that established a Recycling Coordinator and full-time staffing for the Recycling Compound with regular hours to meet customer demand. With this added attention to recycling, sorting and removing contaminants resulted in increased bid prices for the materials. Funds generated from the sale of recyclables since the restructuring of the QRP through the end of 1998 totaled $86,007, an 876 percent increase from pre-restructuring in 1995.
   For more information, contact Mike Herring, mherring@suprtcenecity.usgc.mil, 252-335-6356.