Air Force focuses on recycling for Earth Day 2015 observance Published April 20, 2015 By Jennifer Schneider AFCEC Public Affairs JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas -- On April 22, the Air Force will join the rest of the world in celebrating the 45th annual Earth Day - reemphasizing the service's standing Earth Day commitment to "Conserve Today - Secure Tomorrow." This year, the Air Force will focus on recycling efforts as the theme for Earth Day and encourage service members to help the nation "Win the War Against Waste" every day. Any action that diverts waste from landfills supports the Department of Defense strategic sustainability performance plan, or SSPP, goal of diverting 55 percent of non-hazardous solid waste and 100 percent of electronics waste, this fiscal year and beyond. To achieve these lofty goals, "installations must review their waste streams to determine what can be diverted from landfills or incinerators," said Nancy Carper, Air Force subject matter expert for integrated solid waste management at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center. Diverting waste helps the Air Force meet SSPP goals, while simultaneously generating funds and saving money on waste disposal expenses. "By taking advantage of new recycling opportunities, the recycling program at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland has seen an increase in recycling volume from 450,000 pounds annually 14 years ago to approximately 1.2 million pounds per quarter today," said Jesse Salinas, qualified recycling program manager there. With production of electronic products on the rise, the necessity of an effective electronics recycling program is garnering increased attention across the nation. While more than 3.4 million tons of electronics waste was generated in 2012, less than 30 percent of it was recycled, according to the Environmental Protection Agency website. The majority of unwanted electronics end up in landfills, subjecting the environment to hazardous materials, such as lead, that make up electronics components. Additionally, disposing at landfills squanders the opportunity to reuse or recover the valuable electronics components such as gold, silver and copper. The 2011 National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship established four overarching goals for improved electronics stewardship: building incentives for the design of greener electronics; ensuring the federal government leads by example; increasing safe and effective management and handling of used electronics in the United States; and reducing harm from U.S. exports of electronic waste and improving safe handling of used electronics in developing countries. While all Air Force-owned electronic equipment is already required to be recycled through Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services, the Air Force is encouraging its workforce to take proactive steps to keep home electronics out of the waste stream as well. To facilitate recycling of personally owned items such as cell phones or tablets, the Air Force encourages Airmen to utilize the U.S. Postal Service's BlueEarth Federal Recycling Program. Established in 2013, the program makes it easier for individuals to recycle personally owned ink cartridges and unwanted electronic devices free of charge using the postal network. Air Force and other federal employees can send eligible, personally owned electronic items through the mail to a certified recycler at no cost. Upon receipt, data is wiped from the devices to ensure privacy and information protection. "The message is simple," said Kevin Gabos, Air Force pollution prevention subject matter expert at AFCEC. "If there are opportunities to reduce waste, take them." To assist installations in observing Earth Day, the Air Force Civil Engineer Center is producing an Earth Day Toolkit which is available on the AFCEC website at http://www.afcec.af.mil/news/earthday. For more information about Earth Day and recycling, go to the Air Force's "Blue Acts of Green" Facebook page at www.facebook.com/blueactsofgreen.