By Amanda Elmer
Eberett Long recycles scrap paper after cutting freshly printed pages to the desired size in the RCC production printing department. (Henderson)
By Amanda Elmer
Trash fills the streets. Land fills are becoming overcrowded. These problems are leaving the environment hideous and polluted.
With unnecessary items thrown away as trash or not being thrown away at all, it poses a real threat to the earth. One easy and fast solution is to help out your community by choosing to recycle.
Homes, businesses and schools now have blue recycling trash cans to engage more people into the easy action of recycling.
Most disposable items, like cans and cardboard, can be recycled today. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Web Site shows the significant increase in recycling.
It states that in the last 15 years recycling has increased twice the amount from before.
It also states that the United States recycles 32 percent of its disposable waste products. Items like paper, plastic bottles and cans have been recycled in significant numbers causing an increase in recycling.
Recycling businesses in the Inland Empire have also noticed an increase in how many people have been recycling this year.
Margarita Isais, a cashier from Cash 4 Cans in Riverside, has noticed an increase at her recycling center.
“A lot of people have been recycling lately,” said Isais, adding it could attritbuted to the major holidays that are approaching.
Cash 4 Cans recycling center, on average, pays out $13,000 daily for everyone’s recycling products, most of which was from cans because of their high value of $1.55 a pound. Isais said that cans are the most recycled there because their recycling center puts out weekly coupons in the Penny Saver giving people the opportunity to receive more value for their cans.
Not only does Cash 4 Cans recycle cans, but they have products like copper that have a high recycling value of $2.35 a pound.
“We take cans, plastic and scrap metals; they add up,” she said.
Comparing Riverside’s with other Inland Empire recycling places, Bloomington’s American Recycling Center, Inc. had the most profit for recyclers. The center gives out an average of $20,000 to $30,000 a day, said the president of the center, Yesenia Gonzalez.
Deciding whether people really recycle for the money or for the environment most of the recycling centers said it seems to be on the edge for both reasons. Gonzalez was one to agree on the subject. She said that every community should have a recycling center to improve the environment as well as help people’s financial living.
“By helping out the environment people can also make a living,” Gonzalez said. “Money does have a purpose, but people do care about the environment.”
When asked what he felt about recycling and the environment, Chuck Hunt, of Bloomington, knew exactly why he recycled.
“I recycle when I’m low on cash. I don’t care much for the environment,” Hunt said. “I think it’s great that other people go out of their way to recycle to preserve the earth.”
Amko Recycling in Colton has the overall lowest recycling daily outcomes among the few researched. Melissa Akins, the purchasing director at Amko, said the daily average they give out for recycled items is about $5,000.
Although Amko does have the lowest amount they give out, she said that their company works with Cal State San Bernardino and hopes more schools can help out in recycling.
