FORT CARSON, Colo. — Discarded desks, stacked mattresses, broken appliances and mounds of plastic bags near dumpsters and recycle locations are an all-too-common sight as Fort Carson continues experiencing unauthorized dumping in barracks, unit and garrison facility footprints.
Consequences for culprits dumping furniture or trash on Fort Carson are ticketed and fined under Colorado Revised Statute 18-4-511, according to Directorate of Emergency Services Deputy Director Ricky Oxendine.
“Fort Carson is not your dumping ground for those living on or off post,” said Sgt. Maj. Michael Kidd, Directorate of Public Works (DPW) sergeant major. “It is illegal to use the brown waste bins throughout Fort Carson for those not authorized to do so and personnel will be fined $150.”
Another trash dumping consequence is Soldiers being pulled to assist in hauling the trash instead of working on their mission requirements, explained Kidd.
While recycle locations cannot be used to dispose of furniture, active-duty members within 30 days of a permanent change of station, or who are separating from the military with orders, can drop off a limited amount of furniture at the Exchange recycle drop-off location. Customers need to provide a copy of their orders to the on-site attendant to bring furniture to the site.
The DPW Recycle and Refuse Program staff is available to support customers with guidance on recycle and trash disposal on post. For assistance, call 719-491-0218 or email eric.e.bailey4.civ@army.mil or jerry.n.oates.civ@army.mil. (See article below for Fort Carson recycle procedures.)
Fort Carson Family Homes
On-post housing residents receive 96-gallon, single-stream recycling totes as well as a waste disposal bin for home use. Bulk trash, items too large or bulky for normal refuse containers, is picked up the same day as normal trash. Bulk items must be placed curbside by 7 a.m. on the scheduled pickup day. These items may include furniture, mattresses and barbecue grills. Residents can call Fort Carson Family Homes at 719-579-1606, Ext. 3, for waste disposal assistance.
Fort Carson recycle program reduces waste
By Susan C. Galentine, Directorate of Public Works
Fort Carson prioritizes diverting reusable resources from going to the landfill every day through the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Recycle Program.
Roughly 6 million pounds of waste is diverted annually through recycling, which earns Fort Carson revenue and avoids about half a million dollars in landfill disposal costs.
Fort Carson maintains a full-service recycle drop-off location at the southeast corner of the Exchange on Sheridan Avenue. The Exchange recycle location is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; the site is closed federal holidays. An attendant is available to provide recycling assistance.
The Exchange site accepts cardboard, mixed paper (white paper, newspaper, magazines, shredded paper, junk mail, etc.), aluminum, tin, plastic, glass, non-accountable/expendable metals and ink and laser printer cartridges.
For customer convenience, the DPW Recycle Program staff accepts a variety of commodities for recycling at the Exchange recycle drop-off location to include items not always thought of in terms of being recyclable. Old toilets are sent to the City of Colorado Springs where the porcelain is crushed and repurposed as road base material. Recycled electronics are sent to a vendor and disassembled for valuable metals and plastic. Batteries are salvaged for scrap metal.
There are also two primary recycle collection points for cardboard, mixed paper (white paper, newspaper, magazines, shredded paper, junk mail, etc.) aluminum, tin, glass and plastic. They are:
- Parking lot north of Wolf Ivy Warrior Restaurant, building 1444, on Specker Avenue
- Commissary parking lot, building 1800 on Prussman Boulevard
For more information about recycling on Fort Carson, or to submit ideas on how to improve recycling efforts on the installation, call 719-491-0218 or email eric.e.bailey4.civ@army.mil or jerry.n.oates.civ@army.mil.
Installation housing residents should call the Fort Carson Family Housing contractor at 719-579-1605, ext. 3, for assistance with waste disposal, or to request recycling bins for home use.
Social Sharing