Incinerator idea earns big bucks

  • Published
  • By Sachel Seabrook
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. --  Anthony Dziokonski, of the 46th Range Support Squadron was presented with a $10,000 check by Maj. Gen. Charles Davis July 14 for an idea that saves Team Eglin and the Air Force thousands of dollars a year.

The Air Armament Center commander presented the check on behalf of the Air Force Innovative Development through Employment Awareness (IDEA) program.

"I was on a range tour looking for process improvements and my supervisor mentioned he was looking for a solution (to a waste issue)," said Dziokonski. "After two years, we were able to take a negative and turn it into an environmental positive and I'm proud to be a part of it."

His idea was simple. Instead of disposing of waste products from test missions at a landfill, his proposal was to create an on-site disposal process that will end up saving the Air Force more than $200,000 within the next five years.

Based on his environmental experience and research, Dziokonski said he realized buying the incinerator  made sense, because it saved money and most importantly benefited the environment.

Burning the material on-site with the Firebox incinerator reduces the solid waste residue over 95 percent by volume and is better for the environment, according to Dziokonski. After burning the material in the incinerator, the ash is spread as a beneficial soil amendment throughout the Eglin range.

"This re-emphasizes the fact that anyone can make a difference when it comes to working more efficiently and saving money," Davis said of the IDEA program.

The main objective for the air burner is to minimize particle matter or smoke from burning. For the 46th RSS, it completes four objectives: it gets rid of used testing supplies, reduces the overall waste and creates a smaller, useful product and significantly minimizes the environment impact from burning.

"I was really ecstatic when I found out I won," said Dziokonski, who plans on using the money to help pay for his daughter's wedding in October. "I hope this idea serves the Air Force for years to come."

The IDEA program is an incentive program that promotes process improvement and/or resource savings through ideas submitted by military and civilian employees. Those who submit an eligible IDEA from Oct. 1, 2010 through Sep. 30, 2011 will be entered into the second Annual "Submitter of the Year" raffle, a non-monetary random drawing.
 
To submit a suggestion, go to https://ipds.randolph.af.mil.