Curbside recycling possibility for base housing residents Published Feb. 25, 2011 By Wayne Crenshaw 78 ABW/PA ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- After an overwhelming show of support by residents at a recent town hall meeting, base officials and Hunt Military Housing are more aggressively exploring the idea of curbside recycling here. Hunt manages the privatized military housing which includes Turner Park, Crestview and Forest Park. About 100 residents attended the town hall meeting, in which they were asked if they would support a curbside recycling program. Nearly all raised their hands. Bob Sharples, capital assets manager for the base housing office, said curbside recycling makes sense because it diverts material otherwise headed to the landfill into a valuable resource. "Collecting used bottles, cans and newspapers, and taking them to the curb or to a collection facility is just the first in a chain of events that generates a host of financial, environmental, and social returns," Sharples said. "Some of these benefits accrue locally, but also globally. When all the pieces of recycling are put together, the overwhelming conclusion is that recycling reduces solid waste, conserves natural resources and boosts the economy." He said the residents' collective voice on recycling has "been heard loud and clear by Hunt." Danny Queen, community director for Hunt, said the organization is in discussions with Happy Hour to collect the recyclables. Happy Hour, a non-profit which provides jobs to the developmentally disabled, has a contract to collect recyclables from central bins at locations around Robins. However, Queen said for a curbside recycling program to be cost effective, Happy Hour would need to be able to collect a minimum amount of recyclables. "We are trying to put some options together to see what is doable," he said. Happy Hour already has a central collection point in the housing area, but the hope is curbside recycling would lead to more participation. Sharples said curbside recycling has been tried previously and participation was somewhat low, but the current residents seem eager to give it another try. He didn't have an estimate on how much can be diverted from the landfill through curbside recycling, but said the bins would likely be 13 gallons and picked up once or twice a month. Sharples also said Hunt is also looking at other potential recyclers. He expected it would be a few more weeks before a decision is a made.