Commissary recycling nets $5.3 million for surcharge Published Dec. 13, 2012 By Jessica Newby Defense Commissary Agency FORT LEE, Va. -- Recycling cardboard to the tune of 63,000 tons a year helps save the environment and build new commissaries. Here's how. Cardboard used to ship products to commissaries is not thrown away but is collected by store workers and sold to recycling companies. Money generated from those sales, which was about $5.33 million in fiscal 2012, goes to the Defense Commissary Agency's surcharge fund, which goes directly to build and renovate commissaries. "It's a great ecosystem," said Joseph Jeu, DeCA director and CEO. "As a Department of Defense agency, good environmental stewardship is a big part of our mission of providing the commissary benefit. Our recycling efforts directly benefit our customers through the surcharge funds generated that go to maintain commissaries around the world." The process used by commissaries in fiscal 2012 was 70 percent efficient, meaning that 70 percent of all recyclable material brought into stores was recycled, according to Mark Leeper, a DeCA environmental engineer. It surpassed the agency's recycling goal of 55 percent and its stretch goal of 60,000 tons. Leeper said the increase in the amount recycled is the result of the overall awareness of the program among commissary employees and the benefit it provides. Also, the agency is using an improved reporting system, which allows DeCA to capture more data of the recycling efforts at all commissaries worldwide. "This reflects the culture in which DeCA operates, one that takes into consideration the big picture of the benefits gained through environmentally friendly actions," Leeper said. "The stores, and the diligent efforts of their employees who have caught the vision, make the program work."