Reduce Re-use recycle

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cary Smith
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Dry waste, food waste and organic compounds may not be common vocabulary Airmen think about when throwing out trash. In accordance with Italian law, residents, including Airmen and their families, must do their part to ensure items are properly recycled on and off base.

As Airmen in the United States Air Force it is our responsibility to be good stewards of the environment and good neighbors to our Italian hosts. One way to do this is to ensure every Airman follows the proper procedure for recycling.

A common occurrence on base is the improper placement of recyclable items, such as plastics and paper, into dry waste bins. These incidents cost the base money and the use of renewable resources.

Italian contractors hired to collect trash on base help reduce the number of incidents so Aviano can comply with Italian Law.

"It is important for the contractors that the refuse is placed into the correct collection bins," said Pierluigi Boschian, 31st Civil Engineer Squadron contracting office representative. "We are constantly evaluating every day to ensure a proper separation takes place."

According to Boschian, proper recycling is important because disposing of dry waste costs more money per kilogram than other types of refuse collected.

To reduce the cost, the 31st CES's main recycling goal is to provide accessible collection points for different areas on base.

"There are over 100 collection points here with approximately 600 containers to separate waste properly," said Boschian. "My office communicates with the contractors and base personnel to ensure the correct resources are available to collect refuse."

In addition to the collection points, the defense logistics agency and the base recycling center collects uncommon bulk trash produced on base.

"The BRC is for refuse generated from base facilities and for personnel who live in the dormitories," said Giovanna Coppola, 31st CES local community recycling liaison. "All refuse created off-base is required by law to be disposed of at the recycling center in the community."

The following is a list of recyclable items and the bins they go in:

Aluminum cans and glass: green bell-shaped containers
Cardboard and paper products: containers with a yellow top
Plastics (wrappings and bottles): containers with a blue top
Wet waste: brown-colored containers
Dry-mixed waste: containers with a green top

Items considered as bulk trash include are but not limited to:

Air conditioning and refrigerator units
Automotive parts and bicycles
Electronics and furniture
Hazardous materials: facility lights, paints, solvents, ironing boards, scrap metal and wood.

There are three collection points for bulk trash on base.

BRC collects wood, hard plastics and landscaping refuse from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is located adjacent to Bldg. 10462 along 'perimeter road' on Area F between Vehicle Maintenance and the AMC Passenger Terminal. Call DSN 632-5770 or 0434-30-5770 for more information.

DLA, formerly DRMO, at Bldg. 1459 on Area F accepts office items, metals and appliances from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment only. Call DSN 632-5082 or 0434-30-5082 for more information.

Environmental collects fluorescent tubes, lamps, toner cartridges and other hazardous refuse Tuesday and Thursday. Call DSN 632-5393/5394 or 0434-30-5393/5394 to schedule a turn-in.

With the combined efforts of all personnel at Aviano, we can make this base cleaner, more efficient and aesthetically pleasing. For further information on recycling and base recycling locations on and off base, click here.