Taking another Look at Waste

JAPAN

05.01.2018

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Doan 

Naval Air Facility Atsugi

What people throw in their garbage bags might not normally raise any concerns. From plastic bottles to soup cans, It all goes in the same bag.

Little did they know about the effort put in once those bags leave their hands and are picked up by contractors on base. All bags are opened and sorted to maximize the recycling of materials.

With Earth Day around the corner it is never a better time to talk about what individuals might not be aware of when it comes to their role and responsibilities with solid waste.

“The Public Works Environmental Division recently completed our 2018 Environmental Aspect Assessment which aims to identify the most significant environmental aspects on the installation that are expected to have the greatest potential impact on the environment,” said Christopher L. Carlson, Environmental Engineer at Public Works Department Environmental Division. “This year, solid waste generation was identified as one of our significant aspects and therefore we will be focusing our efforts on improving our current program and reducing solid waste generation.”

After the identification of the solid waste as an area for improvement, the public works department has shifted their focus to education and practical solutions for solid waste management on base.

“The Public Works Environmental Division has recently began implementing a recycling program in various office spaces and administrative buildings on base,” said Carlson. “The program aims to make the process of recycling as easy as possible in order to encourage and maximize participation.”

“If sorting by generator is increased, trash amount will be decreased and recycling will be increased,” said Youhei Okuhara, supervisory quality control representative. “To recycle the pet bottles, glass bottles and cans, all plastic (labels and caps) have to be removed and rinsed.”

The efforts of the recycling program are already showing results within its three month pilot run. The public works department alone has recycled 4.6 tons of waste.

“It is required for Navy installations to meet a certain percentage of waste recycled and therefore we must require the contractor to support that effort,” said Carlson.
When contractors come to pick up waste from the designated waste receptacles, they do a preliminary sorting of waste before leaving.

“The contractor must segregate trash to burnable and non-burnable before transport to Yamato incinerator,” said Okuhara. “Also, they have to sort non-burnable trash into categories (can, glass, metal, aluminum, pet bottle etc.)”

All of the designated waste collection areas are set up to have the waste divided into their respective categories.

“Basically the trash houses are generally all divided into two sections, burnable and non-burnable,” said Carlson. “The non-burnable section is designated for any segregated recyclable items. The contractor can easily collect recyclables from there and set them aside for recycling. The burnable side is designated for any waste that cannot be recycled and will essentially go to the incinerator or a landfill.”

When the waste is not sorted beforehand it can lead to a longer sorting time for contractors as the waste must be sorted before it can be taken.

“People can help to work towards this goal of increasing recycling by segregating their trash,” said Carlson. “Recycling starts with segregation at the source. If any recyclable waste is segregated it can easily be identified, collected, and recycled by the solid waste contractor. Some common commodities recycled by the contractor are cardboard, paper, bottles and cans, wood, metal, etc.”

Recycling and leaving the environment for the better can start with simple steps. A simple sorting of your waste before it leaves your house can help those who pick up our waste more easily identify recyclable materials.

• Date Taken: 05.01.2018
• Date Posted: 12.13.2018 02:12
• Story ID: 303308
• Location: JP