FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Fort Bragg was the first Army installation to lead the way in recognizing that steps needed to be taken to preserve the sustainability and environment of Fort Bragg in order to continue to meet the mission goals for our Soldiers, civilians and Families on post. Womack Army Medical Center is now doing its part to lead the way by implementing a wider approach to an existing recycling program.

Since 1999, WAMC has been recycling shredded Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act papers. Effective April 1, 2010, the commander of WAMC implemented an all encompassing recycling program to support this new North Carolina law.

A recycling team from WAMC was put together headed by Lt. Col. Anthony J. Lopiccolo Jr., director of logistics, and consisting of Helen Shriver, chief Environmental Services, Beverly Smith, Infection Control nurse, Thomas Archer, safety management, and Janina Abad, Personnel Administration Division. Linda Nesmith and the staff from Environmental Services researched which recycling bins would be appropriate for the hospital and then passed out recycling containers, blue for plastic and green for aluminum, throughout the hospital to capture those types of recyclable items.

WAMC has taken recycling a step further by incorporating all white paper, color, computer, and ledger paper. These materials will no longer be thrown in the trash but recycled for future use. WAMC has greatly benefited from the HIPAA recycling and will now profit by receiving monetary vouchers from the Directorate of Public Works. These vouchers allow WAMC to improve the overall morale and welfare of the Womack Family by providing refreshments when there are award ceremonies, cookouts and picnics, holiday parties for the children of employees, and ice cream and pizza socials.

In the past year, WAMC has increased the amount of recycling containers throughout the hospital and the outlying clinics capturing an estimated 300,000 pounds of recyclable material and earning over $4,887 in DPW vouchers. VETCOM will also be participating in the recycling program.

Overseeing the recycling program is Shriver and the Environmental Services Branch team. They can be contacted at 907-6550.