Class mourns student death Digging Receptacles around campus searched in hopes of nding reusable items

The Los Angeles Community College District has placed receptacles for recyclables around Pierce College in an effort to make the community college an environment-friendly campus, but what happens when outside civilians poke through the these bins to take out recyclables?

Students and faculty have noticed people who come onto campus with trash bags, and leave with them filled with various recyclable goods, which have been taken without permission from administration or plant facilities.

One of the issues that Pierce faces with this trend is that the college loses money from the people who take these items from the separate bins labeled specifically for recycling.

Although many students do cooperate with the cause to separate trash from plastic bottles, cans and paper, many students place trash into the recycling bins.

This has also affected the revenue Pierce College generates from recyclables.

Associate Vice President Bruce Rosky said the college does not encourage random civilians to take away these recyclables.

“Director of Facilities is required to achieve a certain amount of recyclables,” Rosky said when asked about the revenue the college makes from paper and plastics.

“People who take away the college’s recyclables make it difficult for Plant Facilities to reach its goal of a certain amount of paper, bottles and cans that should be given to recycling centers from the campus.”

Director of Plant Facilities Paul Nieman said the school is also losing money from students putting garbage in the recycling bins.

“We aren’t getting revenue because people put trash in the containers,” Nieman said. “They charge us because they have to separate that.”

Faculty at Pierce are also concerned with the health of the people that go through the campus’s trash.

“I think we should encourage people to not go through the cans from a health stand point,” Rosky said.

Associative Vice President, Larry Kraus, is a staff member who does not encourage this recent trend.

“Its tolerated, but it isn’t acceptable,” said Kraus.

Several employees feel that people should stop going through the campus’ trash and that students should make an effort to actually use the recycling bins correctly rather than just throw trash in the wrong receptacles.

“What can we do to stop them?” Nieman said. “There is no way to really stop it”.

Students are encouraged to avoid taking trash out of the bins due to various health risks.