Recycling is an everyday practice that most don’t think twice about, but it’s not as simple as just tossing something in a bin with the chasing arrow symbol. In fact it could be detrimental to recycle the wrong thing.

Materials like paper are usually considered recyclable and, in fact, paper can be recycled 6 to 7 times before a noticeable drop in quality. However, if it becomes wet it’s no longer recyclable and should be composted.

“The material that should be recycled has very little value because it is too contaminated. One of the biggest problems is liquids and food waste that remains in the containers,” said ecology Professor Martha Berthelsen about the state of recycling on the Los Medanos College campus.

Her analysis comes after witnessing how sustainability is treated on campus firsthand. After she tasked her ecology students with sifting through LMC’s recycling, they found in the clear recycle bags were an assortment of unrecyclable materials such as wet paper, styrofoam, containers with liquid inside, and other contaminants.

The difficulty in determining whether something should be recycled is not limited to the condition of the item, but also to the company handling the waste.

Cities typically have contracts with private companies to deal with the waste of residents. In Pittsburg for example waste is taken care of by Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery while the neighboring city of Antioch has a contract with Republic Services.

These companies serve the same purpose, but have their own rules and regulations which makes the whole ordeal of recycling even more head-spinning to the average resident.

Here at LMC, the sustainability committee has implemented practices to promote recycling on campus. Last year’s Annual Sustainability Report for the Contra Costa Community College District reported “LMC is reducing waste going to the landfill. Students, staff, and

faculty can also contribute to this goal by practicing how to sort recyclable waste into the recycling bins on campus.”

But some students have little faith in the current recycling system as a whole. “I do my best at organizing my trash but I know that ultimately plastic doesn’t get recycled and recycling was a scam to push the burden of eco friendliness from corporations making all these single-use plastics to save money.” Student Jacob Hernandez claimed.

While the push for recycling and composting has been made by the Sustainability Committee, in the long run it comes down to whether students and staff are willing to embrace and help improve our environment.