This document was provided by PRO-ACT. Contact information is available at the end of each document.
The Air Force commitment to environmental leadership is showcased by its dedication to reducing the use of hazardous materials and preventing releases of pollutants into the environment. To meet its commitment, the entire Air Force team is working together to move away from dependence on hazardous materials.
Air Force bases have difficulty managing hazardous materials. Installations often have multiple procurement vehicles with few controls over hazardous material procurement and usually no methods for consolidating the records from the various procurement vehicles; therefore, it is difficult to determine the quantity of hazardous materials entering an installation. Further complicating the problem is the lack of any comprehensive on-base inventory method of hazardous materials. These factors lead to accountability problem, making compliance with the hazardous materials requirements an almost insurmountable task.
Bringing Air Force environmental leadership to a new level, personnel at Andrews Air Force Base (AFB) in Maryland recruited support for a hazardous materials pharmacy not only from the entire Air Force team at Andrews, but also from the Navy, Army, Marines and Air National Guard. (Andrews AFB is in the unique position of hosting tenants from all branches of the military.) A Hazardous Materials Pharmacy is an innovative approach to managing hazardous materials. Embodying a cultural change in the management of hazardous materials, a HAZMAT Pharmacy establishes a single point of control and accountability for the requisitioning, receipt, distribution, issue, reissue and ultimate disposal of all hazardous materials on a military installation. Designed to achieve true "cradle-to-grave" management of hazardous materials, the HAZMAT Pharmacy at Andrews AFB has already proven successful since its inception in July 1994.
After the Air Force identified Andrews AFB as a test site for the HAZMAT Pharmacy concept in June 1993, the staff from the Supply Squadron at Andrews AFB brought together all Air Force organizations involved in distributing hazardous materials including personnel from Civil Engineering Operations and Pollution Prevention, Bioenvironmental Engineering, and the Logistics Group. Early on, the HAZMAT Pharmacy planners realized the need to have all on-base organizations involved and invited the Navy, Air National Guard, Army and Marines to be part of the HAZMAT Pharmacy team.
"At the time the Pharmacy was being developed, the Navy was in many respects farther down the environmental road than was the Air Force," ... "We went to the Navy early in the planning process so we could learn from them. The Air Force received lots of support from the Navy in that regard." stated John Guinn, Deputy Chief of Supply for the Air Force at Andrews AFB.
The HAZMAT Pharmacy began operations in an Air Force building formerly used to store hazardous materials. With the initial success of the Pharmacy, it became apparent the HAZMAT Pharmacy would soon outgrow its first home. When the Air Force HAZMAT Pharmacy began providing hazardous materials service for the Navy, the building previously used by the Navy for hazardous materials storage became available. The Navy offered the building to the Air Force if the Air Force helped with renovations. Through the efforts of Air Force civil engineers using Air Force funds plus $25,000 from the Navy, the new home for the HAZMAT Pharmacy is taking shape as a showplace and will soon be ready for occupancy, which is projected for December 1994.
According to Petty Officer Mark Leishare, Navy liaison to the Andrews AFB HAZMAT Pharmacy, the HAZMAT Pharmacy has already reduced the Navy's hazardous waste stream by over 50 percent. Another benefit the Navy is reaping from the HAZMAT Pharmacy is free access to empty 55-gallon drums. Prior to inception of the HAZMAT Pharmacy, the Navy bought about 20 drums per week at a cost of $68 each. With the free drums available through the HAZMAT Pharmacy, the Navy is saving approximately $1,300 per week on drums alone. This savings adds up to approximately $67,000 a year!
The interaction and cooperation which developed between other military branches is an unanticipated advantage of the HAZMAT Pharmacy, according to Leishare. "The Navy believes in the Pharmacy at Andrews and is dedicated to helping make the Pharmacy a success. With the support of the Air Force, Navy, Air National Guard, Army and Marines, the HAZMAT Pharmacy at Andrews will become a benchmark in pollution prevention," said Leishare. With two sailors among the Andrews AFB HAZMAT Pharmacy personnel, the Navy's commitment to the Pharmacy is obvious. This dedication is further evidenced by the Air Force buying and managing (with Navy funds) all hazardous materials used by the Navy on Andrews AFB.
The majority of the more than 200 shops on Andrews AFB were eager to be part of the HAZMAT Pharmacy. The timing of pharmacy startup was optimal, with the HAZMAT Pharmacy concept coinciding with an increasing awareness of the need to safeguard environmental quality. The only reluctance came from shops concerned that having only one source for hazardous materials might compromise their mission-essential activities. These fears were quickly allayed by the HAZMAT Pharmacy contracting specialist, who anticipates demand, tracks usage and facilitates a 24- to 48-hour turnaround on hazardous materials requisitioned by the various organizations of Andrews AFB. By using the computerized Integrated Materials Management System (IMMS) database, the contracting specialist gains a firm understanding of demand and usage and can forestall problems that might occur if hazardous materials need to be back-ordered. Furthermore, the HAZMAT Pharmacy personnel are installing a read-only terminal in the local fire department. Expected to be fully operational by June 1995, this terminal will directly link the IMMS database to the fire department. If an accident occurs, emergency response teams know immediately what type of hazardous material is involved and what precautionary measures are needed.
Currently, the HAZMAT Pharmacy keeps a 7-day stock of all the hazardous materials needed by the various organizations on base. However, there are plans to reduce the inventory down to a 3-day supply.
"By the end of 1995, our customers should trust the Pharmacy enough to feel comfortable with our - taking even more product off the shelf," ... "We are making this a genuine cradle-to-grave operation by controlling the distribution of hazardous materials and facilitating the reduction of shelf life expiration, thus reducing the amount of hazardous waste being produced and disposed." stated SMSgt Lawrence Scott.
While the HAZMAT Pharmacy cannot present which hazardous substances contractors bring onto Andrews AFB, the pharmacy does monitor them by barcoding and tracking the use, quantity and type of hazardous material. Contractors working at Andrews AFB are very supportive of this effort.
"The contractors understand the necessity of tracking and controlling the hazardous materials they bring on base and cooperate with us on this matter." according to SMSgt Scott.
During its first three months of operation, the HAZMAT Pharmacy at Andrews AFB has grown to serve all 216 shops on base and has reissued more than 380 hazardous substances to these various organizations, resulting in a savings of over $5,200. However, significant reduction in the amount of hazardous waste generated and disposed and the associated monetary savings are just a few of the obvious benefits of the HAZMAT Pharmacy at Andrews AFB. An unexpected benefit of the pharmacy is the unprecedented level of interservice cooperation and the eradication of redundancy.
"The HAZMAT Pharmacy is a good concept and is working out well," ... "Because of the HAZMAT Pharmacy at Andrews, ANG personnel no longer stockpile hazardous materials, reducing our hazardous waste stream." stated MSGT Renwick Neal of the Air National Guard's 113th Fighter Wing.
Before inception of the HAZMAT Pharmacy the Navy, Air Force, Army and Air - National Guard each had their own on-hand stock and generated their own waste stream. Now, personnel from the Navy and from Air Force supply, civil engineering and aircraft maintenance are staffing the Andrews AFB HAZMAT Pharmacy. The HAZMAT Pharmacy at Andrews AFB has demonstrated that all branches of the military can work together toward increased environmental responsibility.
Since its inception in July 1994, the HAZMAT Pharmacy at Andrews AFB has simplified, improved and reduced the use of hazardous materials on base. The pharmacy has quickly and significantly reduced the production of hazardous waste and the amount of money spent on disposing hazardous waste. The HAZMAT Pharmacy provides a single point of contact for assembling and maintaining hazardous material data, and facilitates compliance with EPA's reporting requirements.
For more information on the HAZMAT Pharmacy at Andrews AFB, contact SMSgt Lawrence Scott at DSN 858-9323 or commercially at (301) 981-9323. Or, contact PRO-ACT at DSN 240-4214, or toll free at (800) 233-4356.
Waste management at Andrews is not limited to the HAZMAT Pharmacy. Located across the street from the Pharmacy, the Andrews AFB Recycling Center is a key link in the base comprehensive waste management program and is working aggressively to reduce the amount of solid waste generated on the installation. According to MSGT Richard Walker, wing recycling monitor for Andrews AFB, the recycling program at Andrews AFB is designed to prevent pollution, save landfill space and conserve and reuse natural resources. Walker stated, "Landfill space is decreasing at an alarming rate and dumping costs continue to rise. This program reduces trash removal costs, saves landfill space and indirectly reduces manufacturing costs, which in the long term saves money."
By picking up recyclable goods, the basewide recycling program makes it easy for everyone at Andrews to recycle. Every month, approximately 25 tons of glass, plastic and newspaper collected on Andrews AFB are sent to the Prince George's County Recycling Center. With the Prince George's County Landfill charging $62 per ton to dispose of refuse, the base saves over $1,550 per month by recycling glass, plastic and newspaper. Even more savings are generated by selling the white paper, cardboard and aluminum collected on base. In addition, the Andrews AFB Recycling Center also recycles antifreeze. The recycling center is used by all military personnel stationed at Andrews AFB, and the Navy tenant unit has given about $140,000 to support the basewide recycling effort.
For more information on the recycling program at Andrews AFB, contact MSGT Richard Walker at DSN 858-2348 or commercially at (301) 981-2348.
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Last Updated: July 27, 1995