Recycling RAF Mildenhall

  • Published
  • By Ms. Janice Tatum
  • 100th Civil Engineer Squadron
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Environmental and Dorm Management are rolling out a recycling program for dorm residents. A set of three reusable collection bags has been distributed to each dorm room along with a memo from Lt. Col. James Griffin, the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron commander, detailing the new rules for dorm recycling. A recycling guide and map of nearby drop off locations was also included.

Dorm residents should collect their recyclables in the provided bags (there are three so that recyclables can be segregated) and then transfer the materials to recycling bins located in each dorm laundry room. The key to success with this program will not just be how much recyclable material is collected but how "clean" it is, i.e. no general trash dumped in the recycling bins.

We cannot stress the importance of recycling enough, not just to dorm residents but to everyone including base personnel and housing residents. The base generates revenue from recycling! In addition we pay by the ton for solid waste to be disposed of at landfill, so by decreasing this amount we are saving money! So recycling equals revenue plus savings, it is a double whammy! To continue the mission we must operate more efficiently by disposing less. This can be achieved by reducing, reusing, and then recycling.
A large percentage of everyday use items are recyclable from beverage cans to junk mail, cereal and juice boxes to soup cans, glass bottles to textiles. And it's not just plastic water bottles that are accepted, clean plastic laundry detergent bottles, plastic shampoo bottles, even general household cleaner bottles made of plastic can all be recycled.
RAF Mildenhall has an outstanding recycling crew. They make recycling easy by doing curbside pickups for organizations! There is no excuse to not be recycling. If you need further encouragement to recycle we are mandated by two executive orders, three Air Force Instructions, and the RAF Mildenhall environmental policy to recycle along with reducing our energy and water consumption.

If you would like help bringing recycling to your organization or need to setup a curbside pickup, please contact Janice Tatum  at Environmental, 238-5652 or Rory Palmer at Recycling, 238-5551.