The Naval Station Everett Recycling Center installed two new balers at Pacific Beach Resort in Pacific Beach, Wash., March 15.

NAVSTA Everett Recycling oversees all the recycling efforts on base as well as their partners; Pacific Beach, Jim Creek Recreational Area in Arlington, Wash., and Smokey Point Support Complex in Marysville, Wash.

Pacific Beach collects a good amount of recyclable material from the guests that utilize the resort and RV park.

“Cardboard, paper, aluminum, glass, plastic as well as all of the cooking oil from the restaurant are now being recycled,” said Ryan Kimball, Pacific Beach Installation Program Manager. “Installing these new compactors will allow us to collect the vast majority of recyclable materials used here.”

Before, the material was collected, boxed up, and stored in triwall containers that could hold about 110 lbs of plastic or 300 lbs of cardboard. When their triwalls were full, a semi-trailer provided by one of NAVSTA Everett’s Recycle vendors would pick up the load of materials. The last shipment, picked up in July 2009, weighed less than two and a half tons. Shipments out of NAVSTA Everett are no less than 20 tons.

The installation of these balers will fix this problem and greatly decrease the number of necessary shipments, eventually saving thousands of dollars.

“The goal is to get them to be more efficient and allow them more storage space,” said Denise Lesniak, NAVSTA Everett Integrated Solid Waste Manager. “It’ll be a huge time saver as well as be more cost effective.”

The balers will also create neater facilities and potentially an easier work environment.

“I think the balers will make the job a lot easier for us,” said Larry Abbott, Pacific Beach Maintenance Worker.

This project coincides with NAVSTA Everett Recycling Center’s efforts to increase awareness at this time of year with Earth Day coming up April 22. With the Earth Day 2011 theme being “Partnering for a Greener Future” the recycling center is doing their best to work with their partners, including Pacific Beach to amplify recycling efforts.

The recycling center was also able to augment the partnering theme by working with NAVSTA Everett Public Works on this project at Pacific Beach. To install the balers, the facilities had to be brought up to par, especially the electrical parts, and the public works department was able to make it happen.

The recycling center is also partnering with the Fleet and Family Support Center to put together the Earth Fair which is scheduled to take place in Jackson Plaza onboard NAVSTA Everett April 22 at 10:30 a.m. It will include information booths, presenting of ‘Energy Stars’ to deserving buildings, an opportunity to sign up for local volunteer clean-up efforts, and a dumpster dive on the south wharf.

Lesniak encourages anyone and everyone to participate in the annual dumpster dive competition where participants work in teams to collect the most recyclable materials out of dumpsters on base. The challenge this year is to beat the Naval Operational Support Center Everett who has won the last two competitions. 

For more information call NAVSTA Everett Recycling at (425) 304-3071.