JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH –
Members of the Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph community will have an opportunity to learn more about recycling and bring their own recyclable household items during a special event next week.
America Recycles Day, Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will feature a 40-foot trailer with videos, demonstrations and interactive exhibits in the commissary parking lot and a kiosk with free promotional items and information on recycling inside the base exchange.
David Cason, Randolph Recycling Program manager, said people will be able to bring documents and junk mail for shredding. Other household recyclables, including any electronic items participants would like to discard - from TVs and stereo components to monitors, hard drives and other computer equipment - will also be accepted during the event.
"We'll have a location set up for electronics," he said. "We can recycle anything that has a power cord."
Cason, who is employed by Osirus Inc., Randolph's recycling contractor, said participants may also bring Styrofoam to the event - a one-time-only opportunity since the recycling center does not currently accept the material.
He said the demonstrations - on composting, day-to-day recycling and other topics - "will be very informative."
Recycling program personnel at the kiosk will hand out items such as pens, water bottles, lunch bags and penny banks, all made with recyclable materials. Information on the base recycling program and the benefits of recycling, which range from saving energy and resources to cutting air pollution, will be available.
David Meyer, 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron contracting officer representative, said Randolph already exceeds the Department of Defense goal of diverting 40 percent of discarded materials from landfills, a goal that will continue to increase, 2 percent each year, until it reaches 50 percent in 2015.
However, the base disposed of 571,600 pounds of municipal solid waste in fiscal 2011, so there's still room for improvement, Glenn Williams, 902nd CES Qualified Recycling Program manager, said.
"That's almost 700 pounds for every person who works on the installation," he said. "Take a look in your trashcan, your co-worker's trashcan or any dumpster - what else could be recycled?"
Williams said the base recycled 2,780 tons through the program in fiscal 2011. Cardboard is the number one recyclable item, followed by paper.
In addition to paper and cardboard, the program accepts plastic and glass bottles, toner cartridges, cellphones, aluminum, metal, scrap metal and wooden pallets. Many bins are located throughout the base; items may also be taken to the recycling center, Bldg. 1152, on the far east side of the base, where drop-off for cans, glass, plastics and cardboard is offered 24 hours a day.
"I think people at Randolph are doing a good job recycling," Cason said.
Meyer emphasized Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act documents should be placed in locked bins.
Williams said executive orders and other requirements establish goals for recycling, but there's a more fundamental reason for it.
"In the end, it's just the right thing to do," he said.
Cason encourages the Randolph community to take advantage of the information and recycling opportunities during America Recycles Day.
"We'd love for people to come out," he said. "Recycling is a big deal; it cuts down on pollution and keeps waste out of the landfills."