Arnold Recycling Center is committed to promoting the significance of recycling and proper waste disposal methods to the base personnel and the community. The center diverts approximately 1.3 million tons of material annually from the landfill, with the most commonly recyclable items being plastics, aluminum cans, cardboard, and paper. However, they face challenges such as personnel not putting the items in the proper containers and limited vendor support. The center is upgrading collection bins around the base to have a non-touch option for more convenient recycling. Contact Arnold Recycling Center for any questions or to report a full recycling container needing to be emptied.
Arnold Recycling Center promotes recycling education
Arnold Recycling Center’s team is dedicated to educating the base personnel and the community about the significance of recycling. The center recently participated in the Global Recycling Day event held at the Hands-On Science Center in Tullahoma on March 18th. Their goal was to raise awareness of the importance of recycling and proper waste disposal methods.
Arnold Recycling Center: Educating the Public on Proper Recycling Methods
The Arnold Air Force Base Recycling Center recently participated in the Global Recycling Day event at the Hands-On Science Center in Tullahoma on March 18th to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and properly disposing of trash. According to Eric Hopp, Arnold Recycling Center manager, the Arnold Engineering Development Complex has a commitment to environmental stewardship. “Whether at work or at home, base personnel are encouraged to do their part to lessen their carbon footprint by recycling,” he said. “Arnold’s recycling program diverts approximately 1.3 million tons of material annually from the landfill.”
Sorting Recyclables
At the booth, Hopp had three recycling receptacles set up to show families how to properly sort their recyclables. He mentioned materials people often think are recyclable are actually trash. For example, Hopp explained used canned goods, like vegetable or fruit cans, are mistakenly placed in aluminum recycling bins. “A good way to determine whether or not it’s aluminum is by using a magnet,” he said. “A magnet doesn’t stick to an aluminum can, but it does to a steel or tin can. So, instead of putting your vegetable cans with your Coke cans, they should either be recycled with other metals or placed in the trash.” Hopp added that it’s always a good idea to check with the recycling center local to you to see what items they accept.
Commonly Recyclable Items
The most common recyclable items are typically plastics, such as water bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard, and paper. “Currently, only cardboard, printer cartridges, aluminum cans, and scrap metals are the materials Arnold Recycling Center sells to recover costs,” Hopp said. “But we do still collect plastics for the diversion rates to keep items out of landfills and waterways. The plastics from Arnold are then transported to a regional recycle center for further processing and then baled.”
Challenges Faced
Though seeing success in much of the center’s recycling efforts, Hopp said there are some challenges they face on base when collecting the recyclables. “One of our current challenges is personnel not putting the items in the proper containers,” he said. “The other is that we have limited vendor support in the local area in which to sell the items gathered.”
Recycling Diversion Rates
Annually, with base-wide support, Arnold recycled and diverted the following:
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155,000 pounds of cardboard
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35,000 pounds of mixed paper products
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19,000 pounds of type 2 plastic
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1,500 pounds of aluminum cans
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4,000 wooden pallets (collected and reused)
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325,000 pounds of scrap wood
Upgrading Collection Bins
As a way to assist personnel in placing the right item in the correct recycling containers, Arnold Recycling Center is in the process of upgrading the collection bins around base to have a non-touch option so physically opening the recycling container will not be necessary.
Overall, Arnold Recycling Center is dedicated to educating the public on proper recycling methods and strives to continue diverting materials from landfills while also reducing the base’s carbon footprint.
Contact Arnold Recycling Center for Questions or Assistance
For any questions about recycling or to report a full recycling container needing to be emptied, contact the Arnold Recycling Center at 931-454-6068.
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