FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- As moving season heats up, post officials are encouraging people who live on Fort Rucker to dispose of excess items, bulk refuse and hazardous household materials in the right way.
One place people can’t use to get rid of their excess items at this time is the Fort Rucker Thrift Shop, which is closed and not accepting donations, according to Marcel Dumais, chief of police with the Directorate of Public Safety.
While the thrift shop used to accept drop-offs of donations at its facility near the post theater, people dropping things off there now will be cited, the police chief said.
Fortunately, there are other ways for people who live on post to get rid of their excess items, bulk refuse and hazardous materials.
For excess items and bulk refuse, housing residents should put them out on their normal trash pickup day, according to Melissa Bryson, Corvias Fort Rucker operations director.
Bulk trash items that might be picked up are furniture pieces, toys, swing sets, exercise equipment and boxes of household goods,” she said. “Tires and hazardous items should not be left for bulk trash pick-up. We ask that residents not leave trash or rubbish when moving out of their home.”
People with questions or who need more information, can call Corvias at 334-440-8988.
But what about those hazardous materials? That’s where the Fort Rucker Directorate of Public Works comes in, because the stakes of mishandling HAZMAT are high, according to Alfred Townsend, supervisory environmental engineer with DPW.
Above and beyond the environmental damage and risk of health threats, the fines for mishandling on post can be high.
“Disposing of hazardous items improperly can result in a Notices of Violation from the State of Alabama, which could mean fines for the installation,” he said. “Fines can be as much as $70,117 per violation, per day the violation has existed. The organization causing the violation is responsible for paying environmental compliance fines.”
Most excess hazardous materials from on post can be turned in at the Hazardous Materials Control Center located at Bldg. 1311. Items that cannot be turned in at the HMCC are used oil, fuel, radioactive items or compressed gases, Townsend said.
For more information on the HMCC, call 334-598-1311.
Used oil can be taken to the Fort Rucker Auto Skills Center to be disposed of properly in the aboveground storage tanks out front, he added.
People with radioactive items should contact the garrison safety office at 255-1027 for disposal guidance, the environmental engineer said. For fuel and compressed gas, people should contact the environmental office at 255-0484 for disposal guidance.
As for wooden furniture not on a hand receipt, people should make an appointment with the recycling center, 255-0468, to take it to the wood lay down yard by Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services on Nighthawk Road.
Townsend added that items that need to be disposed of properly fall into three categories: hazardous wastes, which are solid wastes that exhibit characteristics of a hazardous waste or is listed in Alabama Department of Environmental Management Administrative Code 335-14-2 and Code of Federal Regulations Title 40 Part 261 Subpart D; universal waste; and non-hazardous waste, which are wastes that require special handling, although they are not hazardous waste or universal waste.
Personnel in the environmental office can help people characterize their waste properly, by calling 255-0484.
The following list shows the hazardous wastes that are commonly generated at Fort Rucker, according to Townsend.
Absorbent materials contaminated with cadmium, chromium, and lead; petroleum-contaminated products; filters and absorbent materials contaminated with paint; paint and paint-related material; abrasive blast media; Clarus Parts Washer liquid and filters; shell battery sump acids; petroleum lab waste; Alodine waste; plating shop solids; jet washer water and residue; certain cleaning compounds; plating solutions and mop water; and spill residue (gasoline contaminated).
Some universal wastes seen at Fort Rucker include batteries, pesticides, and mercury-containing equipment and lamps, according to Townsend.
Non-hazardous wastes commonly seen on post include: used antifreeze; used engine oil; used cooking oil; absorbents contaminated with non-hazardous waste, e.g. engine oil; and lead acid batteries.
“Environmental office personnel will be happy to answer your questions and provide further guidance; however, you can check the environmental website 24/7 at www.fortrucker-env.com,” Townsend added.
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