America Recycles Day part of larger initiative

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jarrod Grammel
  • 23d Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  "If we keep it up, we will all have landfills next door to us."

This is why Elvis Lane, 23d Civil Engineer Squadron environmental specialist, thinks recycling is so important and why he traveled around Moody Air Force Base, Ga., and the local community the week leading up to America Recycles Day Nov. 15, to spread the word.

America Recycles Day is an event celebrated every year on Nov. 15 since 1997 with the goal of educating people how and why to recycle.

"It was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency to incorporate recycling into our daily usage of materials, which will lessen solid waste and put less in landfills," said Lane. "So it's better for our environment to put less in the landfills and lessen the use of raw materials."

The average American recycles about 34 percent of their 4.38 pounds of waste per day. According to Lane, Moody recycled about 40 percent in 2013, still behind the Air Force's 2015 goal of 50 percent.

The impact of Americans recycling even 34 percent in 2012 meant the elimination of more than 168 million metric tons of CO2, which is equivalent to removing the annual emissions from more than 33 million passenger vehicles.

In terms of preserving natural resources, the 87 million tons of municipal solid waste Americans recycled in 2012 saved 1.1 quadrillion Btu of energy, or the equivalent of the energy consumed by almost 10 million U.S. households in a year.

This is significant because even though the Department of Defense is the single largest consumer of energy in the world, the DoD still uses far less than 1.1 quadrillion Btu. The DoD used about 827 trillion Btu in 2012.

Despite being the largest consumer of energy in the world, the DoD is bound by Executive Order 13423 to "recycle materials to the maximum extent practicable." Also part of this executive order is the push to increase renewable energy projects.

According to the Air Force Civil Engineer Center, there are currently 20 locations with on-base renewable energy production, with another 11 planned for the next two years.

Although Moody is not home to any of these renewable energy production centers, Lane said one of Moody' main goals is to continue to recycle.

"The main thing Moody does is continue to recycle," he said. "It is an executive order for us to recycle. It tells us we must recycle cans, plastics, cardboard (and) paper. Those are the things we have to recycle, no matter what. We do that at the recycle center here on base that's open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"So we're really trying to make sure everybody on base recycles," Lane added. "That's why America Recycles Day and Earth Day is a big time for us to get out and let the base know that we must recycle."

To get the recycling message out, Lane and his colleagues visited the youth center, Child Development Center and the exchange to give out information. They even visited an elementary school in the local area.

Lane added that many people who join the military may not have grown up learning about recycling and its importance. He added it's equally as important to teach children as the adults, so when the children get older they will recycle and pass that message on to their children.

"We want people to know that [recycling] is the way of life in the military," said Lane. "We want you to care about the environment. We want you to take care of the environment, because when you leave somebody else is going to be born. So where are they going to live? ... We are responsible for what we do today."

Making sure the Air Force is taking steps to be more responsible is exactly what Lane and his colleagues do as environmental specialists. Although America Recycles Day is only one day a year, Lane said the hope is to get people to think about it all year.

The one thing he said he hopes people take away from today, if anything is: "Think before you put something in the trash."