Photo By Ila Dermanoski | The USAG Wiesbaden Recycle Center has numerous receptacles to make separating waste...... read more read more
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WIESBADEN, GERMANY - The U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden Recycle and Re-use center provides not only a valuable resource for residents to recycle waste locally, but also administers a comprehensive recycling program that helps the Army process waste, save money and stay compliant with recycling regulations here in Germany.
The recycling program and facility receives about 8,000 tons of waste per year according to Peter Schneider, Solid Waste Manager for the Directorate of Public Works, Environmental Division.
This past fiscal year, the total cost for waste disposal was just over 2 million euros, with a quarter of those costs going towards processing residual waste. Residual waste is anything left over after recyclables are sorted out - it’s truly trash.
The center receives credit though for recycling paper and metal, saving the garrison money. Last year the savings amounted to 48,791 euros for the installation. Schneider emphasized that the savings through the recycling program allows installations to spend money on other initiatives and projects, directly benefiting Army readiness and resilience.
Annegret Lambrecht, an environmental engineer with the DPW, pointed out that properly separating waste saves residents money as well. Each state in Germany has different environmental fines in place, but overall they can range from 50 euros to over 1,000 euros for individuals and can often exceed 50,000 euros for business and government entities who commit more serious infractions.
Additionally, based on Department of Defense mandates, the Army requires each installation’s recycling/diversion rate of nonhazardous materials to be over 50%. Schneider reported that last year, the garrison diverted 57% of its waste towards recycling.
The recycling facility also helps housing-area residents adapt to local German recycling laws, with convenience and ease.
Recycling always begins with properly sorting waste. “It only takes a couple of minutes a day to separate your waste, and it’s advantageous for the environment and the Army,” Schneider said.
Schneider praised the community for their efforts and challenges them to go even further, “We can reduce the cost of waste disposal for USAG Wiesbaden significantly, by sorting trash better, which reduces the amount of residual waste.”
The center not only handles recycling but also provides a reuse program. The Re-use shop is operated by volunteers and can be utilized by any DoD ID cardholder, no matter if they live on-or-off post, Schneider emphasized.
“You never know what you will find here, it changes every day and it’s always a surprise,” chuckled Schneider, as he pointed towards aisles of household décor, small appliances, sporting goods and clothes.
The Re-use shop currently averages over 1,000 visitors a month, with even more visitors during the summer PCS season.
The USAG Wiesbaden Recycle Center is located at Building 2450 on Clay Kaserne. If you’d like to find out more about their programs and operating hours, call DSN: 548-4029, Civilian: 0611-143-548-4029, or stop by during business hours. https://home.army.mil/wiesbaden/index.php/about/Garrison/directorate-public-works/trash-and-recycling.
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2021 09:26 |
| Story ID: | 411153 |
| Location: | WIESBADEN , HESSEN, DE |
| Web Views: | 667 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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