Reduce, reuse and recycle

Somewhere nearly 26,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way galaxy rests a small blue-green planet called Earth. Humans have thrived and grown to call it home.

Until the technology is developed to colonize one of the 100 billion other planets, people are stuck caring for their spinning orb.

Waste and what people choose to do with it has an impact on the Earth, said Rhonda Pray, 673d Civil Engineer Squadron environmental engineer. By following the three R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle – people can eliminate waste and protect the environment.

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, people can reduce waste by selecting products that are not wasteful in their packaging. Flashy and fun packaging usually costs more, adds little or no value to the product, and can do considerable harm to the environment by creating more waste.

Reuse materials instead of throwing them away, Pray said. There are various locations throughout Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson where residents can put their unused products to good use. Each reusable bag can eliminate hundreds of single-use plastic or paper bags.

The Richardson Thrift Shop is a great place to donate and shop for previously loved items, said Carrie

Olier, Richardson Thrift Shop manager.

“Everything we get goes back into the community,” Olier said. “Because the list of donatable items is so extensive, it’s easier to tell people what they can’t donate.”

Please do not bring broken appliances, tube televisions, broken sofas, paints, solvents and hazardous chemicals, car seats or mattresses.

Many people don’t know JBER has a recycling program, Pray said.

The JBER Recycling Center is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. People can drop off scrap metals, cardboard and aluminum at Building 952 on Warehouse Road.

People can deposit cardboard and aluminum at the large brown recycling bins at each Army and Air Force Exchange Service on base.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling conserves energy and natural resources. Recycling one ton of office paper can save the energy equivalent of consuming 322 gallons of gasoline. Recycling just one ton of aluminum cans conserves more than 152 million British thermal units, the equivalent of 1,024 gallons of gasoline or 21 barrels of oil. Recycling just 10 plastic bottles saves enough energy to power a laptop for more than 25 hours.

“Recycling is a means for JBER residents to avoid depositing waste into landfills,” Pray said. “We have to preserve our natural resources so that the next generation can enjoy the land.”