Wright-Patt Recycling Center

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Shreds of paper flutter off a conveyer belt Sept. 22, 2021, inside the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Center personnel shred documents containing official information or personal data gathered from base commands prior to baling and selling the product. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Dave Matheney, 88th Force Support Squadron, scoops up shredded paper Sept. 22, 2021, in the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Facility workers shred the contents of office recycling bins that contain unclassified, sensitive documents from around the base. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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A load of shredded paper is dumped on a conveyor belt that feeds into the baler Sept. 22, 2021, inside the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Paper and cardboard are sorted before being formed into bales that weigh approximately a ton. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Dave Matheney, 88th Force Support Squadron, scoops up a load of cardboard Sept. 22, 2021, to be sorted at the Recycling Center on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The mound of cardboard needs to be hand sorted to remove trash and paper that belongs in another bin. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Dave Matheney, 88th Force Support Squadron, brings a load of mostly cardboard into the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, on Sept. 22, 2021, for sorting and baling. Plastic in the lower right is the type of contaminant that comes from people throwing trash and other material into the wrong bin, adding labor and expense to the recycling process. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Ned Applegate, 88th Force Support Squadron, sorts through a pile of cardboard Sept. 22, 2021, in the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The center is run through a memorandum of agreement between 88 FSS and the 88th Civil Engineer Group. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Ned Applegate (left) and Dave Matheney of the 88th Force Support Squadron sort trash and paper Sept. 22, 2021, from cardboard turned in to the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Once noncardboard items are removed, the cardboard gets fed into the baler to form 1-ton bales, such as the ones pictured in the background. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Dave Matheney, 88th Force Support Squadron, sorts through cardboard Sept. 22, 2021, in the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In early fiscal year 2021, the center processed an average of 86.15 tons of material a month. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Bob Parsons, 88th Force Support Squadron, sorts through office paper and feeds it into a shredder Sept. 22, 2021, inside the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Center personnel shred documents containing official information or personal data gathered from base commands prior to baling and selling the product. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Shreds of paper flutter down into the baling pile Sept. 22, 2021, at the Recycling Center on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In fiscal year 2020, the facility processed 400 tons of paper. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Ned Applegate, 88th Force Support Squadron, carries off a set of dual-exhaust pipes found in a cardboard recycling bin Sept. 22, 2021, in the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. People putting things in wrong bins adds labor and expense to the base’s recycling program. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Separate bales of corrugated cardboard and mixed paper sit outside the baler Sept. 22, 2021, in the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Once a month, the recycling program opens up bids to sell various commodities based on the center’s supply. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Thomas Doucette, 88th Force Support Squadron Recycling Center manager, is pictured in the facility’s metal yard at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, on Sept. 27, 2021. Recycling personnel sort through and collect 11 different types of metal, including steel, aluminum and copper. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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David Blair, 88th Force Support Squadron, loads steel into a large dumpster Sept. 27, 2021, in the Recycling Center’s metal yard at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In fiscal year 2020, the center processed 2,500 tons of various metals. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Dave Matheney keeps records as Robert White uses a forklift to pick up a bale of cardboard Sept. 27, 2021, to be loaded onto a buyer’s truck at the Recycling Center on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The 88th Force Support Squadron Recycling Center workers can load up to 44,000 pounds into a semitrailer. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Dave Matheney, 88th Force Support Squadron, keeps track of the number and weight of cardboard bales being loaded onto a truck Sept. 27, 2021, at the Recycling Center on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Each bale weighs more than a ton and 18-24 can be loaded into a semitrailer. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Bob Parsons, 88th Force Support Squadron, uses a forklift to retrieve a cardboard bale Sept. 27, 2021, to be loaded onto a buyer’s truck at the Recycling Center on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The 88th Force Support Squadron Recycling Center workers can load up to 44,000 pounds into a semitrailer. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Bob Parsons, 88th Force Support Squadron, uses a forklift to load a cardboard bale into the truck of a buyer Sept. 27, 2021, at the Recycling Center on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. In fiscal year 2020, the center processed and sold 400 tons of paper. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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A bale of cardboard sits labeled in the Recycling Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, on Sept. 27, 2021. Each bale is marked with what it contains, the date baled and weight. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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(U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)

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Timothy Fields, 88th Force Support Squadron, empties a recycling bin for cardboard Sept. 27, 2021, at Recycling Center on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. All the facility’s trucks are 20-30 years old, which presents maintenance challenges for center personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez)