DLA Disposition Services office takes unwanted equipment

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kaleb Snay
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Have you ever wondered what to do with that office chair sitting in the corner that nobody ever uses? Trashing it may be considered fraud, waste and abuse, but one organization here can turn unwanted items into a re-useable fortune.

The Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services Office will take that old furniture, as it supports servicemembers by providing worldwide disposal management solutions.

DLA Disposition Services, formally known as the Defense Re-utilization and Marketing Office, re-uses, transfers, donates and sells U.S. Government surplus property that is deemed safe to use, said David Drumm, Misawa's DLA Disposition Services supervisor.

DLA Disposition Services also disposes of military equipment that cannot be used. The organization is located in 32 states, 2 U.S. territories, 12 countries and deployed locations to support the needs of the Department of Defense.

Office supplies, government owned vehicles and computers are among items commonly processed by DLA Disposition Services. These items are used by government facilities until broken, outdated or unreliable and then turned in to DLA Disposition Services, said Drumm.

Airman 1st Class George Sanford, 35th Operations Support Squadron force protection analyst, said he used DLA Disposition Services to turn in 20-year-old office furniture in his work area so new furniture could be brought in. Sanford coordinated with DLA Disposition Services to set up a time to bring in the old furniture.

"I am glad to say that the DLA Disposition Services here at Misawa was a pleasure to work with," said Sanford. "They made the process as easy as it could be, and made sure all of our paperwork was properly filled out for our records."

Besides helping clean up offices of old equipment, DLA Disposition Services also saves tax payers money.

In 2011, DLA Disposition Services saved more than two billion dollars worldwide by reusing surplus and excess government equipment. They made more than $355,000 in revenue and scrapped more than two million pounds of equipment.

"We are here to fully support our servicemembers, whether it's at Misawa or worldwide," said Drumm.

For more information on how to turn in unwanted, broken or outdated equipment, call Misawa's disposition office at 226-2270 or visit www.dispositionservices.dla.mil.