Spring Break
Scavengers collect materials on campus
Jill Abell
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: News
With a fuzzy, brown hat resting on her tangled hair, and large black sunglasses shadowing her eyes, Donna Hale sits outside King Library accompanied by her rusty shopping cart.
As night lifts off the streets, rattling shopping carts can be heard in the distance, along with aluminum, plastic and glass trapped in soggy trash bags, grinding across pavement and leaving a trail of slime in its wake.
Unauthorized recycling collectors roam downtown San Jose and SJSU's campus, earning a living by cashing in plastic and glass bottles, and aluminum cans.
Hale said she is originally from St. Louis, Mo., and said she has lived in San Jose for the past five years.
She said she came here to be closer to her sister, who lives in Sacramento, but said she also loves the warm weather.
Hale said she pushes all of her belongings in a shopping cart around downtown San Jose, and she does not have a home.
"I crash on some guy's couch now and then," she said. "I usually can find a roof over my head."
She collects bottles and cans from trash bins and recycling bins around the city.
"I stay away from campus, because there's too much competition there," she said. "It's easier to go around the city."
Hale separates bottles and cans in reusable grocery bags that hang from her shopping cart.
"I go to Sims to drop off cans and bottles," she said. "You get $50 on Monday and $100 on Thursday. Sunday is a gold mine. I go with a guy on Sunday, and we split the money. They measure by pound."
She said that on Mondays, Sims Metal Management on Monterey Highway pays $1.20 per pound, and on Thursdays and Sundays it pays $1.80 per pound.
Forensic chemistry major Lynzie Miramontez said unauthorized recycling collectors do not bother her.
"When I see them, I give them a bag of cans and bottles," she said.
"Scavengers"
"Scavengers on campus steal the bottles and cans from recycling bins on campus, both from the exterior bins and from inside buildings where they have absolutely no business," said Terri Ramirez, recycling and moving services specialist of Facilities Development and Operations.
As night lifts off the streets, rattling shopping carts can be heard in the distance, along with aluminum, plastic and glass trapped in soggy trash bags, grinding across pavement and leaving a trail of slime in its wake.
Unauthorized recycling collectors roam downtown San Jose and SJSU's campus, earning a living by cashing in plastic and glass bottles, and aluminum cans.
Hale said she is originally from St. Louis, Mo., and said she has lived in San Jose for the past five years.
She said she came here to be closer to her sister, who lives in Sacramento, but said she also loves the warm weather.
Hale said she pushes all of her belongings in a shopping cart around downtown San Jose, and she does not have a home.
"I crash on some guy's couch now and then," she said. "I usually can find a roof over my head."
She collects bottles and cans from trash bins and recycling bins around the city.
"I stay away from campus, because there's too much competition there," she said. "It's easier to go around the city."
Hale separates bottles and cans in reusable grocery bags that hang from her shopping cart.
"I go to Sims to drop off cans and bottles," she said. "You get $50 on Monday and $100 on Thursday. Sunday is a gold mine. I go with a guy on Sunday, and we split the money. They measure by pound."
She said that on Mondays, Sims Metal Management on Monterey Highway pays $1.20 per pound, and on Thursdays and Sundays it pays $1.80 per pound.
Forensic chemistry major Lynzie Miramontez said unauthorized recycling collectors do not bother her.
"When I see them, I give them a bag of cans and bottles," she said.
"Scavengers"
"Scavengers on campus steal the bottles and cans from recycling bins on campus, both from the exterior bins and from inside buildings where they have absolutely no business," said Terri Ramirez, recycling and moving services specialist of Facilities Development and Operations.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
Rich
posted 11/05/09 @ 11:58 AM PST
Jill:
Thank you for this important article. These "scavengers" are stealing recyling that belongs to SJSU in quantities that amount to hundreds of dollars per day. (Continued…)
anonymous
posted 11/07/09 @ 5:11 PM PST
This won't stop until UPD starts arresting/citing people and stops letting this slide. People come through the dorm area every night, loudly dragging carts and nobody does anything. (Continued…)
Kevin
posted 11/08/09 @ 10:00 PM PST
I live near campus and have had to tell these scavengers to stop going through my recycling. I actually had one say he was going to "blow my f*#@ing head off" because I told him to get off my property. (Continued…)
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