FORT BLISS WINS NATIONAL AWARD
FORT BLISS, Texas—Fort Bliss was named a Keep America Beautiful 1st Place Award winner for their efforts in reducing waste through its innovative recycling programs.
Keep America Beautiful will present the Directorate of Public Works – Environmental Division with its 1st Place Award for Waste Reduction – Government Agency Category at its National Conference in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 4.
Fort Bliss received the 1st Place Keep America Beautiful award as a result of on-going and innovative recycling programs that were launched this past year. Some of the new programs that were at the core of the award were Single Stream Recycling, Electronics Waste Collection and Litter Free Events.
Fort Bliss is the first U.S. Army installation to implement Single Stream Recycling for its administrative, retail, restaurant, contractor and other partner organizations. Single Stream Recycling is where all recyclables are collected together. Paper, plastics #1 & #2, aluminum, steel, and tins cans are all placed in one of the over 400 blue dumpsters that are located across Fort Bliss. Single Stream Recycling was launched in an effort to raise existing recycling numbers and address the increase in recycling anticipated as a result of the population growth expected at Fort Bliss over the next several years. Within a few short months of implementing Single Stream Recycling, Fort Bliss has realized an 84% increase in materials collected.
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KABAWARD
Another program that contributed to the Keep America Beautiful 1st Place Award, is the Electronics Waste Collection Days. After two successful Electronics Waste Collection events, this program has now become a permanent recycling offering at Fort Bliss. Anyone can bring personal electronics waste items such as computers, radios, stereos, TV’s and more to the Fort Bliss Recycling Center for recycling of the various components.
In 2008, Fort Bliss piloted its first ever Litter Free Event at the Amigo Airsho which is held on Biggs Army Airfield. With that first success, the program was expanded to include all events held on the installation. The Amigo Airsho is a two-day, high-flying event with 80,000 people in attendance. In support of this recycling effort, the Amigo Airsho promoters and Fort Bliss Recycling Center staff worked with vendors to provide “recyclable only” beverage containers to reinforce the recycling message and further the program’s goals. The overwhelming participation of attendees to recycle at these events held on Fort Bliss has resulted in permanent Litter Free Event components incorporated into all public events on the installation.
Finally, it is the combination of these new programs, the success of existing programs such as the Soldiers’ Unit Fund Recycling Program, HazMart, Pollution Prevention, Curbsiders and the community’s response to recycling that has resulted in this award.
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