April 23, 2008

Base grows greener
Larger recycling center opens in time for Earth Day celebration

By Mike Lee
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

CAMP PENDLETON – Camp Pendleton might not be the first place most people expect to see an Earth Day celebration, but the base rolled out the red carpet yesterday for two kinds of green – cash and the environment.

Before dozens of staff members and journalists, base officials unwrapped their new recycling center and touted other efforts to make their installation more ecologically friendly.

The recycling center, billed as the first of its kind in the Department of the Navy, is designed to save landfill space and generate money for base amenities such as fire rings at the beach, a mobile library and environmental upgrades.

Unlike its previous location, the new spot on the southern edge of the base was planned from the start to process many types of recyclables and leave room for anticipated growth.

From 2002 to 2007, Camp Pendleton recycled more than 13,000 tons of six main commodities: cardboard, brass, plastic, paper, aluminum cans and glass. The annual recycling numbers for some of those products declined during that time because of large-scale deployments of service members, damaged recycling equipment, staff cuts and the temporary relocation of the recycling station to a less-desirable spot.

With the new recycling center in place, base officials expect 2008 to be a banner year for collection of cans, cardboard and other products that otherwise might be thrown away.

“We not only have a facility than can handle the volume, but we also have been approved to get our employees back, so we will be able to serve this base unlike we have ever done before,” said Charles Bradshaw, Camp Pendleton's recycling manager.

He led a tour past huge bricks of squashed milk jugs and hoppers of brass shell casings taken from the firing ranges, a particularly valuable commodity given the high price of metals. The castoffs typically are sold to middlemen in the growing international marketplace.

Most of the recyclables are collected from family housing units and offices on the sprawling Marine base. Bradshaw said participation in some spots is as high as 70 percent of tenants, while it is just half of the state's 50-percent benchmark in other locations.

Now that Bradshaw has a new headquarters, he plans to step up his reminders to housing officials, residents and others about pitching in.

Yesterday's ceremony capped Bradshaw's decade-old vision of establishing a permanent, high-volume recycling center at Camp Pendleton. He said many base leaders have supported his efforts, but there were delays caused by federal funding, guidelines and mandates.

The new center's equipment cost about $750,000 – roughly a third of the revenue generated by the base's recycling operations during the last fiscal year.

“I feel so beat up because the bureaucracy makes it so hard,” Bradshaw said.

Despite Bradshaw's frustration, the recent upgrades build on what already was a solid recycling system for the base, said Col. Gary Storey, facilities manager for Camp Pendleton.

“If the dollars brought in is an indication, this is the most successful recycling operation of any base in the Marine Corps,” he said.

Storey said future revenue can be used for “helping us become more and more environmentally friendly.” Among other items, base officials are looking at how to build a waste-to-energy plant and how to switch from conventional light bulbs to highly efficient LED lights in some locations.

Such efforts reflect increasing attempts by military officials to project an image of environmental stewardship – even though commanders sometimes conflict with conservationists about specific projects and programs.

Last weekend, Marine Maj. Gen. Michael Lehnert gave the keynote speech at the annual awards ceremony for the San Diego chapter of the Sierra Club. He oversees Marine Corps Installations West, which consists of Camp Pendleton and six other bases.

“I was ... unaware of the extent to which they are acting in this environmental way,” said Richard Miller, president of the Sierra Club's local chapter. “I think they have been keeping it a secret and it's time to get the word out.”

Mike Lee: (619) 542-4570; mike.lee@uniontrib.com