Team Dover encourages participation in America Recycles Day

Photo By Roland Balik | Sophia Reeves, Hunt Companies, Inc., Eagle Heights at Dover community director and Staff Sgt. Rachel Patterson, 3d Airlift Squadron loadmaster, place items in a 96-gallon recycle container Nov. 3, 2016, in Eagle Heights housing area on Dover Air Force Base, Del. In addition to curb-side recyclable pick up, two roll-off bins located at the Housing Maintenance office, building 3720 on Pine Cabin Road are available to Eagle Heights residents for bulk items such as furniture and a bin for metal items. (U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Balik)  

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DE, UNITED STATES

11.03.2016

Story by Roland Balik      

436th Airlift Wing

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- This Tuesday is America Recycles Day. Since 1997, this has been a nationally-recognized day established to promote and celebrate recycling at the community level. Deral Freysinger, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron qualified recycling program manager, encourages Team Dover to take a look at their recycling practice and reduce what goes into the landfill.

Knowing what can be recycled, preparation of items to be recycled and where to take recyclables is an educational process goal of Freysinger and Sophia Reeves, Hunt Companies, Inc., Eagle Heights at Dover community director.

“Our main goal is to divert items that can be recycled from going into landfills,” said Freysinger. “We have a requirement from the Department of Defense to divert 55 percent of what we send out as trash to recycling. Right now we are diverting 60 percent of our trash to recycling.”

By having a proactive Resource Recovery Recycling Program or RRRP, the Recycling Center has become self-sufficient by generating revenue for its daily operation, mainly from the collection of metal and cardboard.

“We are probably averaging about $1,000 to $1,500 per month that we get back for metal,” said Freysinger. “Right now we get three and a half cents per pound for regular sheet metal.”

Dover AFB generates about 15 tons of cardboard per month slated for recycling which is collected in eight-cubic yard containers at 46 various locations throughout the main base and Eagle Heights, as well as roll-off containers located at the Recycling Center, building 650 located near the North Gate.

The following list of items can be dropped off at the Recycling Center, every Tuesday or Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. or by appointment:

Plastic: Soft plastic household bottles or containers such as soda, water and salad dressing bottles; milk and water jugs; and laundry and cleaning containers.

Glass: All colors of juice, soda, water, beer and wine bottles; and food jars.

Metal: Aluminum and steel beverage cans; tin and steel food cans; scrap metal of all kinds; and wire cables.

Batteries: All type and sizes of household batteries.

Paper and Cardboard: Corrugated cardboard; newspaper; food, cereal and microwavable meal boxes; shredded paper; magazines; and junk mail and other papers.

Hunt Companies, Inc., Military Communities, has been proactive with recycling initiatives by increasing the size of recycling containers for each 982 units in the Eagle Heights community from 30 gallons to 96 gallons, increasing curb-side recyclable pick up frequency and by providing two roll-off bins located at the Housing Maintenance office, building 3720 on Pine Cabin Road, one for bulk items such as furniture; and one bin for metal items.

“Recyclables get picked up every Wednesday,” said Reeves. “Last year in 2015, they were only picked up every two weeks and we immediately caught on to it and implemented it weekly.”

Items that are not accepted at either location are: hazardous material containers, plastic grocery bags, light bulbs, mirrors, dishes, window glass, aerosol cans, serviceable furniture, tires, electronics, computers and containers used for chewing tobacco.

“Paper, plastic and metal cans need to be bagged separately prior to being placed in the eight-cubic yard containers,” Freysinger stated. “Any questions about container locations near your workplace should be directed to your facility manager.”

For more information on recycling locations, times and items accepted, please contact Deral Freysinger at [phone] or [phone] at the on-base location or the Housing Office at [phone] for the Eagle Heights location.

• Date Taken: 11.03.2016
• Date Posted: 12.19.2016 11:11
• Story ID: 218120
• Location: DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, DE, US