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EMS
Recycling Program

Recycling Program

Program Manager Contact Information:
Recycling Program Manager  |  252-466-3631

Recycling Containers
Program Overview        
 

The purpose of the Recycling Program is to reduce the amount of waste generated and disposed of at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point. The Recycling Program is closely related to the Solid Waste Management Program and the Hazardous Material/Pollution Prevention Program as an option for managing solid waste, as well as a solution for preventing pollution. The Air Station has adopted the Department of Defense’s (DoD) preferred order for environmentally sound integrated management of solid waste: source reduction, material reuse, donation, recycling, composting/mulching, incineration for volume reduction with energy recovery, other forms of volume reduction, and landfilling. Recycling directs materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources and generates a host of environmental, financial, and social benefits for the environment, the community, MCAS Cherry Point, and the Environmental Affairs Department (EAD).

Environmental Requirements        
 

Marine Corps policy requires that all Marine Corps installations and activities comply with all applicable environmental requirements, which may include Federal, state, local, DoD, Department of the Navy (DON), Marine Corps, and MCAS Cherry Point rules, regulations, and requirements. Legal and other environmental requirements related to the Recycling Program are maintained on the EM Portal.

Programs, Plans, Resources and Responsibilities        
 

A complete description of the responsibilities of the Recycling Program is available on the EM Portal. Major components of the Recycling Program include:

  • Management of the Material Recovery Facility (MRF)

  • Management of the Qualified Recycling Program (QRP)

  • Implementation of the Waste Oil Wealth Program

  • Implementation of the Used Solvent Elimination Program

  • Tracking recycling Measures of Merit

  • Initiating and writing recycling policy and guidance

Material Recovery Facility

The MRF is located adjacent to EAD on Access Road. Family housing residents, Air Station organizations, and military units can deliver co-mingled recyclables to the MRF 24 hours a day. Materials that are generally accepted for recycling at the MRF include:

  • Aluminum and steel cans

  • Mixed paper (including office paper)

  • Plastic bottles

  • Glass beverage containers

  • Expended fired brass

Qualified Recycling Program

A QRP is a recycling program that is qualified to retain the sales proceeds of certain appropriated funded recyclable scrap in addition to the proceeds of scrap belonging to civilian and military individuals.

Waste Oil Wealth Program

The Waste Oil Wealth Program was adopted to segregate chlorinated solvents and other contaminants from waste oil at the source. The sale of used oil has not only generated proceeds at MCAS Cherry Point but also has limited costs associated with the disposal of hazardous waste and provides additional cost avoidance associated with not having to buy virgin product.

Used Solvent Elimination (USE) Program

The purpose of the USE Program is to reduce the present and future risks and costs associated with the disposal of used organic solvents by eliminating disposal as much as possible.

Recycling Measures of Merit

Monitoring and tracking waste diversion rates show the effectiveness of the recycling program at MCAS Cherry Point, as well as the Air Station’s progress toward meeting the DoD Measures of Merit.

Recycling Policy and Guidance

As technology changes, Federal policy is rewritten, regulations become more stringent, and natural resources become scarcer. Air Station policy will be updated and generators made aware of how the recycling program will continue to affect their working and living environment.

Training and Communication        
 

Each Tenant Recycling Coordinator should be trained in pollution prevention and waste reduction techniques. The Recycling Program Manager is responsible for providing the necessary materials and information to the Comprehensive Environmental Training and Education Program Manager for use in training the Tenant Recycling Coordinators and general awareness training.

The Recycling Program Manager will receive training on managing the QRP.

Practice-Aspect-Impact Risk        
 

The risk of negative environmental impacts from MCAS Cherry Point operations may be assessed by analyzing the practices that occur at the facility. Aspects are the characteristics of these practices that can cause an impact to the environment or other resource. It is Marine Corps policy that all Marine Corps installations identify and assess the environmental risk of the practices and aspects associated with each environmental program. Significant practices and/or aspects associated with this program include:

  • There are no significant practices and/or aspects associated with this program.

Objectives, Targets and Actions to Improve Performance        
 

When necessary, objectives and targets (O&T) are developed in order to minimize the environmental risks posed by the facility’s practices and to track progress towards achieving environmental goals. Any O&Ts related to the Recycling Program and their associated actions to improve performance are maintained on the EM Portal. There is currently one O&T developed:

Objective: To gather and store material documented as safe (MDAS) to the qualified recycling program.

Target: Collecting at least 20,000 pounds annually.

Audit and Evaluation of Compliance        
 

Inspection requirements related to the Waste Oil Wealth program are documented on the EM Portal.

The Recycling Program is evaluated under each annual internal Environmental Compliance Evaluation (ECE) and each triennial Benchmark ECE. Findings and corrective actions from these audits are maintained on the EM Portal.

 

 

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Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point