Editors Note: This is the first of a three-part series in correlation to Energy Awareness Month.
FORT RILEY, Kan. - Plastics, glass, cans and paper are just some of the things that can be recycled at the Fort Riley Recycling Center, located in Building 1980 at Camp Funston.
"Recycling is essential to save valuable landfill space," said Scott Allen, operations supervisor of the recycle program. "If we refused to recycle, these products would end up in our landfills and reduce the life expectancy of those landfills."
Along with the center, there are two drop off points on Fort Riley as well - one across the street from the center and the other in the parking lot of the old Post Exchange.
"We also have the Environmental Waste Management Center that processes more of the industrial types of commodities, such as scrap metal and POL containers," Allen said.
The Environmental Waste Management Center is located in Building 1945 at Camp Funston.
Items which can be recycled at the Fort Riley center include No. 1 and No. 2 plastics; clear, brown and green glass bottles; aluminum and steel cans; paper products including newspaper, white paper, packing paper, pressed board (cereal boxes); envelopes, magazines and catalogs; pallets; scrap metal; off-spec fuel; and grass clippings.
"When it comes to items that cannot be recycled, some of our biggest issues are plastic bags, window/auto glass and the above mentioned items when they are contaminated with food and other trash," Allen said.
Allen asks that bottles and jars be rinsed out, cardboard be broken down and all recyclables be segregated from one another, and more importantly, trash.
During the month of August, both facilities processed more than 400,000 pounds of recyclables putting Fort Riley on track for recycling more than 4.1 million pounds of commodities in Fiscal year 2010, Allen said.
"The current tipping fee at the transfer station is $42 per ton," Allen said. "If you take the four million pounds that we have recycled this year to the transfer station, it would have cost around $84,000. So, not only did we save money, we also made money by recycling these commodities."
The recycling center also offers a Troop Incentive Program.
"This is an opportunity for units on post to recycle and get paid for their efforts," Allen said. "As always, we want to be able to recycle as much as we can and continue to look for new avenues to do so."
Hours of operation for the center are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding Garrison Resiliency Days off every other Friday.
Social Sharing