Ohio EPA honors Wright-Patt

  • Published
  • By Bill Hancock
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio. --  During a recent visit and tour, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Director Craig W. Butler, presented Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with a silver-level award under the agency's Encouraging Environmental Excellence program.

The Ohio EPA program awards organizations that reduce waste, improve efficiency and continuously work to improve environmental standards of compliance. The award ranges from bronze to silver to gold, with higher levels of recognition for those organizations exceeding regulatory requirements or committing to future environmental stewardship efforts.

Base environmental actions include a recycling program that prevents more than 1,500 tons of solid waste from being shipped to landfills in 2014. The base's environmental programs are also diverse, from worm farms full of Red Wiggler worms eating leftovers, to a ceiling tile recycling program, which resulted in more than 1.1 million square feet, or 706,000 pounds, of tiles recycled annually, the largest amount among all federal facilities.

"We are really impressed by the work we have seen being done here today," said Butler. "From the exceptional C-17 deicing operation fluid recycling, where 80 to 90 percent of fluids are caught and recycled, to the recycling center, where paper, cardboard and glass, from an organization the size of a small city, is diverted from the landfill and actually generates profit. This is the exact connection we want to foster; you want to do it for the environment, but also save money and, in some cases, actually make money. That's when it becomes self-sustaining and self-operational."

Along with the Civil Engineering office, one of the hosts to the Ohio EPA visit was the Wright-Patt Environmental Management System (EMS) office, which is responsible for identifying activities and processes that can significantly impact the environment on base.

"Our leadership is committed to continually looking for ways to minimize our environmental footprint and encourage all base personnel to be good stewards of the environment by thinking about things like recycling and reducing waste," said Dr. Chistina Powell, EMS manager.

During the visit, Ohio EPA officials toured de-icing facilities, Aerospace Ground Equipment Shop, the recycling center, Air Force radioactive recycling and disposal, and the hazardous waste facility.