GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A contractor out of Bend is assisting the U.S. Forest Service in a pilot program to help fire camps ‘go green’ and recycle plastic bottles and cardboard.
Right now, the only camp utilizing this level of recycling in southern Oregon is at the Taylor Creek Fire, which averaged approximately 1500 firefighters and support personnel in the past week, according to Phil Torchio, a representative of the contractor: Triple Flare Recycling.
In one week, Triple Flare Recycling collected 20,000 water bottles and 40 yards of cardboard. Currently, the contractor group is set up at Fleming Middle School for recycling those products.
This is the second year Triple Flare Recycling has provided the service. In 2017, the group spent 41 days on the White Water Fire in the Willamette National Forest.
“We are hoping to stay on this fire for as long as we are needed by the incident management team,” Torchio said via email. “Other camps in the region have been showing interest as well. We are actively working on expanding the program to other areas.”
Torchio noted other interest stems from USFS camps in California, Arizona and New Mexico.
See original news story, here.