Since the advent of the Redemption Value (CRV) program and home pickup of recyclables, California residents have been able to save landfill space and benefit the environment.

“This is an open campus” says Tony Cantu, president of FCC. “So there are a lot of individuals who can go through the trash and pull and pull out some of the cans, like any place else you can see that all over the city.”

According to CalRecycle, the state paid more than $20 billion for recycled products in 2011. Also during that year, Californians recycled more than 16.7 billion beverage containers.

At Fresno City College, the Sustainable Action Club is hoping to see similar results. “We have no recycling program on campus,” said Paul Gilmore, faculty advisor for the Sustainable Action Club at FCC. “Every year, a student comes in and is really excited about it [recycling], and every year, that student ends up leaving and going to some other school.”

Gilmore said there were attempts in the past to increase awareness on the FCC campus.

“A few years ago in order to light a fire under some folks, they decided to put out their own recycling bins and they made these bins out of trash,” said Gilmore. “Homemade bins, the art of recycling, they called it. And they stayed out there for a couple months until someone came through and threw them away.”

All that FCC currently has is the service of Dorothy “Dot” Salida who collects recyclables and turns them into money that go toward the college’s “Go Green” Scholarship. One $500 scholarship ($250 each semester) goes to an FCC student enrolled in at least nine units with a minimum GPA of 2.8. Candidates need to have completed at least one semester before award year as well as demonstrate financial need. The recipient must show evidence of involvement in conservation/environmental issues or participation in recycling on campus or in the community.

“A lot of people are down on it because they say of people will throw stuff in the wrong bin, and who’s going to sort the stuff, and it’s more work for crews that are already overworked and I think all those problems can be solved if we just put our minds to it” says Gilmore.

“Sustainable action has at times talked about working with the welding folks to come up with and create a big tumbler, where you take the green waste and create compost. So that those who deal with the grounds here don’t have to buy any extra inputs we can just use the compost we make ourselves,” says Gilmore. “And that would be an interesting project for the clubs and the people in welding and the community college as a whole”

The next step for FCC is to establish a widespread recycling program.

“We are currently working with the California Conservation Corps to set up some bins on campus, and trying to find out where to set those, and the college would be responsible for keeping them clean and all that,” said Cantu. “Dot would also help take some responsibility for that, and the Conservation Corps would come in and collect it and give us some reimbursement, so that’s our big project right now.”

Over the years, the CCC was honored with numerous awards and recognition, including the Renew America National Environmental Achievement Award for the Salmon Restoration Program’s work improving fish habitat and has served as a model program for local, state and national youth corps.

“The timetable is pretty soon, we’re just looking at the final pieces of it and trying to work out the logistics,” said Cantu on the Conservation Corps project.