Last summer, Bakersfield College’s only form of recycling, which was in the form of bins, were taken out of various parking lots.

This semester, Craig Rouse, director of Maintenance and Operations, has been trying to initiate a new program that involves all of BC staff and students.

“We are getting proposals for recycling companies to put together a plan that fits our campus,” he said.

Rouse said certain things should be taken into account when creating a recycling program for the campus, such as where the main flow of traffic is and how much waste BC generates a year.

“One of our goals is to really involve SGA and all of the departments to work together on this program,” Rouse said. “We think it’s really important to reach out to the students and faculty to get their help as well.”

A recycling program around school means the BC community would have to be more diligent in where waste is deposited. Although Rouse states, “It would be easy, though, for students because we are just going to implement Phase 1 blue cans that all recyclables could go in together.

“A recycling program would just help everyone. It keeps people employed, saves the environment, and helps the school,” said Rouse.

One student, Veronica Ortiz, has been recycling out of trashcans at BC for almost two years. She says makes a majority of her income by sorting through the trash on campus.

“I have a son in the hospital, and I recycle to even eat one meal a day,” Ortiz said. “Security says I interrupt classes and leave trash everywhere, but I know I don’t.”

While BC’s recycling program has been gone, one student, Monica Diaz, weighed in on the controversy, “I think that the students that are recycling right now are fine, but when the program starts, maybe they should see if the school can employ them or they can recycle another busy place, like the Marketplace.”