Commander’s Action Line_123

Q Why are we at Ramstein, as ambassadors to Germany, not recycling enough? I don’t see why we cannot place trash receptacles in the food court and around the base to help the environment and reduce waste.
 

A Thank you for your question and concern about the environment. Ramstein strives to be good environmental stewards and has had a
qualified recycling program in place since 1997.

A large segment of the base is participating including maintenance shops, administrative areas, military family housing and schools. Overall the recycling program is very successful, but you’re right, there is room for improvement. 

One of the challenges AAFES and the 435th Services Squadron faced in the past was the unwillingness of customers to segregate the waste. However, I have contacted these organizations and have expressed a willingness for them to join our recycling efforts. In fact, they have a recycling program review scheduled in July. Once they have completed the review of their programs, they will work to implement recycling where it is economically feasible.

I understand the desire for more receptacles; however, we must
balance convenience with cost of maintenance and, in this case, force protection. The installation has implemented several antiterrorism and force protection initiatives to ensure the safety of our communities. Among them are the underground garbage containers.

Many of the garbage containers are located underground, and the part exposed above ground is designed in such a way to blend into the surroundings. The containers are environmentally friendly, require less frequency of collection, are more economical and improve utilization of space.

Again, thank you for your interest in our community and our
environment. We will not rest on the successes of the past but will strive to improve our record as responsible environmental stewards.

The Commander’s Action Line gives KMC members a direct link to wing leadership.  The action line is a way for KMC members to ask a question or express a concern on the policies and procedures of the base, as well as discuss safety and security issues.  To submit an action line, e-mail editor@kaiserslauternamerican.com with “Action Line” as the subject.