Conservation: Reduce, reuse, recycle

  • Published
  • By Staff reoprts
  • 90th Civil Engineer Squadron
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  Recycling is taking a product or a material at the end of its useful life and returning it into a usable raw material to make another product.

Families, businesses and residents of Cheyenne know that recycling is important. It saves money, creates jobs, encourages new markets for recycled products and new technologies, and protects the environment.

Now, Warren contributes to this important national effort. Per Wyoming State Statue 6-3-204 assimilated through federal law IAW 18USC-13, it is illegal to dump on a federal installation. This pertains to all active-duty, civilian and retired members, to include all Defense Department employees living off base.

The 90th Civil Engineer will relocate the base recycling drop off point March 1. The new location is Booker Road directly behind Bldg. 934, the hazardous waste facility.

The recycling center will accept the following materials: plastics 1 and 7, newspapers, magazines, tin cans, aluminum cans, glass bottles, cardboard and office paper. Determining the grade of plastic can be distinguished on the bottom of most plastic containers -- the recyclable symbol consists of three arrows forming a triangle with a number inside of that triangle.

Military housing occupants will continue to have recyclables picked up at curbside on designated days.

"If military family housing occupants have questions concerning if an item is recyclable or where it can be taken for recycling, they can refer to the housing manual or contact the recycling quality assurance personnel at 773-6104 for future inquiries", said Ernest Cisneros, 90th CES logistics.

In a lifetime, Americans will throw away 600 times their adult weight in trash. If added together, this means a 150-pound adult will leave a legacy of 90,000 pounds of trash.

Not recycling is a serious matter which can affect everyone in the long run, Mr. Cisneros said. It not only reduces the amount of energy used by industries, but it also lowers greenhouse gas emissions and helps prevent global climate change. Much of the energy used in industrial processes and in transportation involve burning fossil fuels, gasoline, diesel and coal, which are the largest sources of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions into the environment.

By decreasing the need to extract and process new raw materials from the earth, he continued, recycling can eliminate the pollution associated with the initial stages of a product's development such as material extraction, refining and processing. These activities pollute the air, land and water with toxic materials, such as ammonia, carbon monoxide, methane and sulfur dioxides.

"With the cooperation of [military family housing occupants,] we can detour the amount of refuse that is delivered to a city landfill," said David Ewaliko, refuse contract quality assurance evaluator.

So, now is the time to join forces and work together to maximize the many economic, environmental and social benefits that recycling provides, he said. Let's work together now to ensure future generations can enjoy a safe and healthy environment.

For more information call Ernest Cisneros at 773-6104 or e-mail ernest.cisneros@warren.af.mil. For base refuse disposal, call David Ewaliko at 773-6120.