Focus shifts to pollution prevention Focus shifts to pollution prevention by MSgt. This turnaround graphically demonstrates the emphasis placed on pollution prevention in the Air Force and across the country, said Capt. Betty Ludtke, a pollution prevention program manager assigned to the Pentagon.
All bases have recycling programs for items such as paper, cardboard and aluminum cans.
Many other bases have begun composting grass clippings, food waste and other biodegradables for use as topsoil. Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C., has taken composting a step further by using compost materials to clean up petroleum-contaminated soil. Opened in 1992, the Kelly facility is used primarily to strip paint from cargo aircraft, using plastic media blasting instead of toxic chemical paint strippers. The plastic particles are recyclable and more easily disposed of than chemicals, Kelly officials said. Additionally, this process has reduced the paint-stripping time per plane from 13 to eight days.