Department of Defense: Widespread Abuse in Recycling Program Increases Funds for Recreation Activities (Letter Report, 12/10/93, GAO/NSIAD-94-40). Military bases routinely receive millions of dollars annually from the sale of aircraft, vehicles, and other materials that are specifically excluded from a scrap recycling program and spend the money on recreation activities instead of using it to offset the need for appropriated funds or returning it to the U.S. Treasury. In addition, some installations are holding their own sales rather than selling materials through disposal offices. As a result, the total amount that installations are receiving from the recycling programs and spending on everything from golf courses to boating and ski equipment is unknown. In addition, Defense Department (DOD) regulations have not been revised to reflect the latest legislative changes, and internal controls for the recycling program are not being adequately followed. In some cases, program proceeds are not being properly handled. Several Inspector General and military service reviews of the recycling program over the past few years failed to report the abuses GAO found. DOD recently revised its recycling program guidance to include ferrous and nonferrous scrap and some firing range brass, a move that appears to conflict with the purpose of the recycling program since these materials are not part of the waste stream. --------------------------- Indexing Terms ----------------------------- REPORTNUM: NSIAD-94-40 TITLE: Department of Defense: Widespread Abuse in Recycling Program Increases Funds for Recreation Activities DATE: 12/10/93 SUBJECT: Defense operations Internal controls Program abuses Funds management Accountability Military materiel Surplus federal property Waste disposal Sales Recycling IDENTIFIER: Defense Business Operations Fund Air Force Industrial Fund Army Industrial Fund DOD Resource Recovery and Recycling Program ************************************************************************ We regret that the full text of this item is presently unavailable. See the GAO FAQ - Section 2.0 for printed copy ordering information. The FAQ is automatically retrieved with all WAIS search results or can be obtained by sending e-mail to: [email protected]