Bragg Recycling Program offers incentives to units, organizations

Did you know that Fort Bragg has a recycling program that not only benefits the installation but can also benefit your individual unit?

The Qualified Recycling Program offers units, directorates and tenant organizations the opportunity to actively participate in an incentive-based recycling program that provides a monetary voucher in exchange for contributions of recyclable material. The program tracks the weights of the recycled items which are tallied at the end of each quarter.

“The prices used for calculating a voucher are much higher than market values for the materials,” said David Heins, chief of the Environmental Division for the Directorate of Public Works. “This keeps units involved in recycling while also providing business opportunities to DFMWR (Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation).”

According to the program’s Memorandum of Instruction, organizations reaching the $100 threshold in any quarter will have a voucher issued.

It further states if an organization does not reach the $100 threshold, the amount in the account rolls over into the next quarter until $100 is reached. Vouchers can only be used at Department of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities, such as the Clay Target Center, Equipment Check-out Center, McKellar’s Lodge, and the Divot.

Vouchers must be used within one year of the issue date. Exceptions can be made for extending vouchers, such as deploying units. They must also be used at an activity that is open to all members of the contributing activity, such as unit organization days.

Recyclable material is accepted at the Recycling Center, located at building 3-1240, in the DPW compound near the intersection of Reilly and Butner roads. Hours for the recycling center are from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“It is essential that participants understand the importance of recycling not only the incentivized items but all recyclable material,” said James Duncan, Environmental Protection specialist, DPW.

Acceptable recycling items include shredded office paper, cardboard, plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Current payouts for materials are as follows: aluminum equals $1 per pound; plastics equal 50 cents per pound; shredded paper and cardboard equal $25 per 2,000 pounds.

Other items the recycling center can accept, but do not contribute towards unit recycling dollars, are brass, steel, copper, glass, batteries, oil filters, electric motors, coils, nickel, mixed wire, printer cartridges, household electronics and cooking oil.

Government electronics or military items on property books need to be turned into the Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services for proper recycling and disposal.

“When we recycle, the amount of waste sent to landfills is reduced,” Duncan said. “Recycling reduces the need for refining, processing and extracting, i.e. mining, quarrying and logging, raw materials all of which create substantial air and water pollution.”

On Fort Bragg all municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste are hauled off the installation and disposed of in approved facilities.

“Using recycled materials in the manufacturing process uses considerably less energy than that required for producing new products from raw materials and also reduces greenhouse gas emissions,” Duncan explained.

The Longstreet Landfill, which holds municipal solid waste, closed in May 2001. Lamont Landfill, which accepted construction and demolition material, stopped accepting waste in December 2015. However, it continues to maintain the dumpster pad, where roll-off dumpsters for disposal are stationed and then hauled off the installation by the refuse contract. All other operations at the Lamont Landfill are recycling areas such as the scrap metal pile.

QRP sale revenues are used to cover operating and program costs. Additionally, it reimburses the program’s use of installation operation and maintenance funds.

The MOI also lays out that if a balance remains, the garrison may use up to 50% of the available funds for pollution abatement, pollution prevention, energy conservation, alternative-fueled vehicle infrastructure support, and occupational safety and health projects. Any remaining proceeds may be transferred to DFMWR and can be used on additional projects that will benefit the community.

“To give you an idea of how recycling benefits Fort Bragg economically, the QRP transferred $1,744,000 back to the installation in FY19,” Duncan said. “(The program) transferred $1,466,690 back to the installation so far for FY20.”

The skate park behind Cleland Ice Rink, urban reforestation projects, solar lighting projects, and bicycle racks are products of the transferred QRP funds.

If you would like to get involved or need additional information about the program, email Jeff Sloop at Jeffery.w.sloop.ctr@mail.mil.