Base scrap yard a hidden jewel for recycling metal items Published May 13, 2016 By Angela Woolen Robins Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Don't chunk your office's old junk. There's a place on base that's more than happy to take those old cast-offs. Just this year, the scrap yard at Robins has scrapped about 920 tons of scrap metal, electric motors and wire to generate nearly $90K in proceeds. These proceeds go directly back to the Qualified Recycling Program Recycling Center here. All it takes is a phone call to John Carter, QRP yard manager, and he will pick up any unwanted materials that are able to be scrapped. "Don't hide them in the woods," said Carter, who routinely checks heavily wooded areas. He said that when he was on those ventures, he found various items which had been discarded. There is a pick-up service available to keep people from doing what they shouldn't do when discarding no longer used items, added Darryl Mercer, QRP operations manager. At the scrap yard, Carter has large bins labeled with each type of material that can be scrapped and sold. Metal, stainless steel, copper wire, brass and aluminum are all able to be turned into a profit. A bin labeled copper holds thousands of wires to be sold to a local company which measures and pays for it. "Each month we get a check that goes into our recycling program," said Casey Lucas, Solid Waste/QRP manager. The money received helps fund environmental programs like the recycling center and other programs. The scrap yard will only take items that have been cleaned of oils or contaminants. Many of the items the scrap yard receives are from various demolition projects around base. Upgrades to offices nets the program an assortment of desks to be put into the scrap bins. Carter also takes apart machines to be able to get the most money from the materials. "All of those commodities are worth more if we separate them," said Carter. On average, the scrap yard processes 150,000 pounds, or 75 tons, of material each month. The price fetched for the scrap varies. The best bet for those who have large items to be thrown away is to call. "Let the man that knows what he's doing handle it," Mercer said. To schedule a pickup, call Carter's cell phone at 478-283-6542.