Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany -- The current recycling program at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Ga., is in accordance with federal law.
While Executive Order 13423, Marine Corps Order P5090.2A and MCLB Albany Base Order BPS 3-04 mandate a recycling program, execution is conducted at the local level.
“Across MCLB Albany, we have had an exceptional year with our recycling program, but we must continue to expand program participation in response to Headquarters Marine Corps’ increased emphasis on recycling programs and federal mandates. We have a solid program in place, but further success depends on a sustained grassroots effort that promotes 100 percent participation,” said Col. C.N. Haliday, commanding officer, MCLB Albany.
Recycling programs are defined as those which collect and process used materials into new products and prevent the waste of potentially useful materials, divert waste and pollution going into a landfill and reduce the consumption of fresh, raw materials and energy.
“The Installation and Environment Division has three personnel working in our recycling center, but they cannot make this an effective program on their own. It takes the efforts of each and every member of the MCLB Albany community to make this a success,” said Frederick R. Broome, director, Installation and Environment Division, MCLB Albany.
To date, approximate figures show that, among other things, 63,000 pounds of white paper, 19,000 pounds of plastic, 712, 000 pounds of scrap metal, 327,000 pounds of cardboard, 172,000 pounds of used oil and 116,000 pounds of pallets have been recycled here.
But it could be better.
“I would give the base, as a whole, 70 percent, but in certain areas, I would drop it down to 50 percent,” said Robert L. Metts, pollution prevention manager, Environmental Branch, I & E Div. “I think people need to be educated as to why we do it (the environmental program) and how we need to do it.”
There are many aspects to recycling and one of the most important is the need to separate certain, similar items, such as paper.
“When people clean out files in their office, they don’t always separate the white paper from the folders. They just dump the whole thing in the trash can,” explained Metts.
“White paper needs to be sorted out, then take the empty folder and throw it into your trash can,” he said.
A similar situation exists with shredded paper.
“Don’t put the shredded paper on top of the white paper. We put it into bulk haulers and take it downtown. If recycling personnel have to separate it, that takes up a lot of valuable government time when they could be doing other work, like removing recyclables from work areas,” said Metts
To make the recycling program accessible to base personnel, pickup points have been established in Buildings 3500 and 3700 with Monday, Wednesday and Friday pickups.
Additional pickup points have been established at other areas on base.
At a pickup point, employees should place shredded paper into plastic bags and place those bags into the blue recycling containers marked for “shredded paper.”
Shredded, plastic-coated paper and CDs should be placed in the regular trash bins. Recycling blue buggies should be left in the recycling pickup area. Experience has shown that if a buggy is removed from the recycling area to an office for loading, then someone delivering a recycling load to the pickup point may toss their material into any available buggy at the site because the buggy they’re looking for isn’t there.
As a convenience, the base recycling office will bring a buggy to your area and pick up the loaded buggy from your area.
“Marine Corps Logistics Command is working to stimulate the recycling program at LOGCOM upon re-occupancy of the first floor of Building 3700 as that project progresses. That doesn’t mean we won’t be doing similar improvements at our other occupied locations. It initially will just be more visible,” said Michael Basnight, director, Installation, Environment and Safety, LOGCOM.
“The base has procured plain paper recycling bins for each of the new workstations (in Building 3700) and larger plastics and aluminum can bins for common areas in the facility. Additionally, we are developing a communication campaign that will introduce the MCLB Albany environmental group and the proposed changes to the LOGCOM workforce,” he added.
Base employees living off-base are encouraged to separate their recyclables at home and bring them to the base and deposit them in the blue trailer near Building 3600.
“We encourage that,” said Metts. “All in all, it’s good for the regional landfills, because what we’re doing with recycle programs is keeping material out of the landfills. It’s not about the revenue, it’s about the future. We don’t have any new land, and officials don’t want us to incinerate it because of the ozone, so we have to recycle it. Besides, when we recycle paper, we don’t have to cut down more trees to make paper,” added Metts.
To report a full container at the pickup point or to request a buggy to recycle paper, call (229) 639-6296.