U.S. Army Medical Logistics Command has revamped its headquarters recycling programs to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in local landfills. Chris Borrell, AMLC’s facilities operations specialist who is leading the effort, said command personnel and tenant organizations at Fort Detrick’s Defense Medical Logistics Center, or DMLC, recycled nearly 10,000 pounds of waste, including electronics, discarded metal items and printer toner, in a span of about six months.
“We only have one Earth and it’s everyone’s responsibility to take care of it and pass it on to our kids,” Borrell said. “I enjoy hiking, fishing, and it’s upsetting when you just see garbage on the ground. We’re just trying to be responsible and leave something better than we found it.”
Borrell estimates the total collection of recyclable materials in future years would be roughly 5,000 pounds annually. Since coming on board with AMLC in June 2023, Borrell said he started noticing an excess of outdated items accumulating in the building that needed to go. Rather than send it to the landfill, he wanted to find a better way.