Federal Center gives the green light to recycling

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center is Battle Creek landmark, and it also a leader when it comes to working in partnership with state and local organizations to protect the environment.

Since the early 1970’s, the Federal Center has made energy and fuel conservation and environmental awareness a priority.

Here are some of the highlights:

1987 – The Defense Logistics Enterprise Support, Facilities Management and Environmental Services, establishes a Qualified Recycling Program (QRP). Nearly four million pounds of office and computer paper has been collected and recycled.
Over the years, QRP expanded its mission, collecting cardboard, newspaper, phonebooks, glass, can, plastic, batteries, toner cartridges, silver recovery and yard waste for composting.

1995 – The Federal Center starts a partnership with the Calhoun County Solid Waste Planning Committee, and with city and county Environmental and Solid Waste agencies.

Through this relationship, a cell phone recycling program begins at the Federal Center. The old phones are repaired and given to county organizations who can’t afford new ones.

1996 – The Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) creates a Pollution Prevention Plan, which helps to reduce solid waste from the Federal Center.

1997 – The QRP includes CD recycling to its mission. Over the years, more than 7,800 disks are processed into reusable plastic.

1999 – DLIS becomes a charter member in the Department of Defense, Michigan Pollution Prevention Alliance. The group sponsors environmental workshops for military and federal agencies across the state.

The latest initiative is called the Environmental Management System or EMS. The EMS program is meant to ensure that a operation looks at all aspects of its impact on the environment from documenting compliance with environmental laws to designing energy conservation into facility upgrades to protective measures taken to prevent hazardous materials from entering the ground water or air.

The use of EMS here is unique, because it reflects a commitment from all the major organizations at the Federal Center, and establishes the first EMS that involves multiple federal agencies, to address and promote environmental stewardship.

The Federal Center also participates in several environmental programs including, the Alternative Fueled Vehicle Program, the Affirmative Procurement/Buy Green Program, and the Pollution Prevention Program.

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