Fort Drum Directorate of Public Works officials are looking to improve the installation’s recycling program, emphasizing that a collective effort is crucial to meet environmental goals, reduce costs, and maintain good order and discipline across the post. While Fort Drum is close to meeting its goal of diverting 50 percent of its municipal solid waste from landfills, a recent downward trend in recycling rates has prompted a renewed push for education and personal responsibility.
Ian Crawford, DPW Environmental Compliance chief, said that the installation’s system is designed for simplicity. For most personnel, it comes down to two choices: trash or recycling.
- Municipal solid waste (Brown Dumpsters): Everyday items not designated for recycling, such as food waste, diapers, non-recyclable packaging, etc.
- Single-Stream Recycling (Blue Dumpsters): Paper and cardboard, plastic bottles and cans, aluminum cans, etc.
- Bulk Dunnage: Items like wood pallets, scrap metal and furniture should be taken directly to the installation transfer station.
âAll the dumpsters have the appropriate labeling on there, telling them exactly what can go into that container,â Crawford said. âWe made it overly simplistic on purpose.â
Sean Johnson, DPW Municipal Services chief, said recyclables are collected from the blue receptacles across post every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and taken to the Solid 91²Ö¿â Transfer Station, located near Cerjan Gate. It typically takes a team of four approximately three to six hours to process a single load â roughly several tons of recyclable items â before it is transported to a local materials recovery facility. âOur guys will empty a truck onto the ground, separate the recyclables and pull out any trash thatâs commingled in with the recycling,â Johnson said. âSometimes people will throw in bags of regular trash and other items that contaminates the load.â