Recycling program down, but not out

Nothing is immune to economic pressures these days. That includes recycling.
Last year, Belvoir experienced a decline in the metric tons it produced at its recycling center on post for the first time in years. Part of the reason is the Defense Commissary Agency's new recycling program, which no longer sends it's cardboard to the center.
However, recycling coordinator Mary Jo Brooks cites another factor - one that doesn't get fixed overnight.
"With the world-wide economic downturn, recyclable materials markets are drying up with an excess of materials and a greatly diminished demand," Brooks said. "This has affected the prices of all recyclables collected on Fort Belvoir and the recycling program's revenues directly."
In order to maintain a financially viable recycling program, Brooks said it's important that all Fort Belvoir residents and community members continue to recycle as much as possible.
While household recycling is through the Residential Communities Initiative, she said residents are allowed to recycle mixed paper, white paper, cardboard, newspaper, aluminum cans, steel cans, scrap metal and glass and plastic bottles at the recycling center.
In office buildings, individuals can recycle the same items accepted at the center, in addition to toner cartridges, food boxes, shipping boxes and packing paper.
Because the program has to pay an outside vendor to dispose of glass at local recycling markets, Brooks also encourages people to switch to all metal or plastic food and drink containers.
"Metal and plastic containers still earn the program revenue and have much wider marketability in the recycling world. If people keep that in mind, that would also help us," Brooks said. "Recycling clearly saves money. The cost avoided from not paying to landfill waste, as well as the revenue generated from the sale of recyclables, helps immensely in covering the operating costs of the recycling center."
The recycling center is open Mondays to Saturdays, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays noon to 4 p.m. Recyclables can be dropped off after hours. Hazardous waste is prohibited. For more information, call Brooks at 703-806-3008 or e-mail mary.jo.brooks@us.army.
mil.