With the beginning of the recent Naval Air Station Whidbey Energy Week, another important program began its unique annual progression. Countdown to America Recycles Day is an opportunity to encourage our community to reduce, reuse and recycle.

“It all comes back to you”, this year’s slogan, reminds each of us that we can make a difference in the condition of our environment, our quality of life, and our country’s future. Mark your calendars for Nov. 15 and make a commitment both to yourself and your community to take part in America Recycles Day 2005.

Even minor changes in attitude and actions, when combined with those of others taking on this challenge, can change the world. Maybe your part is boxing up old clothing to donate it rather than toss it, throwing soft drink cans in the recycle bin or making up your mind to only buy recycled content products. Everything done to reduce, reuse or recycle, no matter how small, counts towards the goal of improving our world now and in the future.

Today, the average American generates about seven to eight pounds of solid waste (garbage) daily. This trash is taken to dumps and landfills, compacted and buried putting a continuously increasing strain on our landfills, our resources and our environment. As stewards of our environment, we not only affect the world as it will be in the future, but the one we live in now.

Recycling today is really a step back to the basics. Before the “modern era” of throw away dishes and utensils, fast food, convenience items and the like, folks used items until they were worn out and then found new ways to use them yet again. That is the idea behind composting—use a resource in every way possible and when it is ready for the waste stream, consider the viability of composting that item.

“We have reached a plateau of about 67 percent recycling base-wide,” Paul Brewer, NAS Whidbey’s environmental protection specialist explained. “And we were looking for ways to overcome that. If we continue to move steadily forward with our composting and recycle programs, it is feasible that we can achieve our recycling goal of over 90 percent.”

Composting is the process of transforming organic waste material, otherwise unusable paper waste and biodegradable solids through controlled decomposition. Material such as yard, food or animal waste is continually broken down into simple compounds over a period of time. The result is a nutrient rich, top soil-like material that can be used for a variety of purposes.

It’s time to take a look at the recycle process and apply it to our daily lives. The three chasing arrows of the recycling logo represent the primary components of the process: collect (don’t send recyclable materials to landfills); manufacture consumer products using recovered materials; and buying products made with recycled materials. You have the power to make the system work by actively participating in the first and final steps of the recycle process.

There is a further financial benefit to be had when we consistently recycle to the best of our abilities. When you reuse, you decrease the need to repurchase. Additionally, production and energy costs are eliminated or greatly reduced when aluminum, paper, glass, plastics and other materials are reused. Additionally there is a reduction of the negative impacts of extraction and processing of virgin resources on the environment.

Recycle correctly. Cleanliness counts. Rinse out cans, jars and bottles and keep cardboard and paper out of the weather to keep reuse costs down. Sorting also counts. Put the right type of items in the proper bins and when in doubt, ask.

“Our mission is not only to provide recycling facility resources but to be a recurring educational resource for the Team Whidbey community. The more you know about the America Recycles Day program and how it can be applied to your daily life, the more successful we are,” finished Brewer.

If you have a question about an item’s potential for recycling, call us at 257-5481 and ask. We also have a brochure available to help you out at home or in your office. Remember, it all comes back to you. Recycle!

What you can recycle might just surprise you. To reduce what goes in our waste stream, our Team Whidbey facility accepts the following:

White ledger paper, newspaper, magazines and books, cardboard, polycoated paper board, a wide variety of plastics (look for the recycle codes on the containers), glass, aluminum, metal cans, scrap metal, ferrous & non-ferrous, foam rubber, clean/unpainted/untreated wood, inkjet and laser printer cartridges, used oil and oil filters from commands, lead acid batteries, serviceable clothing, electronic media, composting materials (on base only).