Sustainable Business Solutions
Project Name: Recycling and Solid Waste Diversion Assessment
Project Location: FE Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Services Provided:
- Solid Waste Management
- Data Management
- Community Outreach
Trihydro was subcontracted to conduct an evaluation of solid waste handling and recycling practices for F.E. Warren Air Force Base (FEW). The evaluation included conducting recycling assessments for 10 primary waste generators to evaluate solid waste management efforts. Trihydro contacted FEW Operations Managers concerning current recycling practices, successes, and failures; inquired about waste streams generated by each facility; and developed a data collection sheet to standardize information collected from each facility.
Trihydro also reviewed FEW’s pollution prevention performance measures. The review included observing refuse containers where contents were bound for the City of Cheyenne’s landfill. These observations provided an indication of which base organizations were recycling and diverting wastes properly. Organizations where refuse containers contained divertible or high percentage of recyclable materials were targeted for subsequent education and outreach material distribution.
Furthermore, Trihydro collected recycling information from select base operations to identify whether those operations were diverting wastes. Spot checks were performed at on-base facilities to identify diversion and recycling activities. Subsequently, Trihydro conducted follow-ups with base personnel to determine if wastes observed to be generated at these facilities were targeted for recycling or diversion from landfill disposal. These spot checks and follow-ups indicated that the majority of FEW’s diversion waste included wood, leaves, branches, and grass, which are directed to FEW’s compost facility. FEW also made a strong effort to divert construction and demolition debris.
Based upon the findings of these assessments, Trihydro developed recommendations and provided a waste disposal report for base-wide diversion improvements. A significant component of the program was Trihydro’s additions to the base qualified recycling program (QRP), which included developing and distributing brochures, educational posters, and press releases to on-base facilities. In addition, we set up a booth at the base commissary and two on-base youth facilities to disseminate brochures and answer questions.