Donna Rumaldo, who has been working for Copy Tech since 2006, has been recycling at Pierce College for the last two years.
“Donna is a very good worker,” said Marina Ibarra, copy tech supervisor.
She started by selling tomatoes at the farm in what is now called the Pierce Farmers Market.
“I dig in the trash,” said Rumaldo. “I don’t get in the dumpsters, but these young adults are just throwing [their trash] in the nearest container, and it’s usually the trash with no regard to recycling.”
Rumaldo decided to start recycling when her daughter became pregnant. She uses the profits of the cans she recycles to start her grandchild’s college fund. She makes $60 to $80 weekly.
“I think that there should be options to separate different trash: trash, recyclables and organic compost,” said Rumaldo.
She said that she went to the Associate Vice President of Administrative Services Larry Kraus with this idea, and asked him how she could go about to make a recycling program on campus.
“I went to [Kraus] to get this trash separated, because right now the recycling system at Pierce College is just blue containers for paper and some containers for plastic bottles,” said Rumaldo. ” I want options. I want students to have the option to see a container for recyclables and a container for trash, and to just know they are there whether they recycle or not. if they get an option to segregate the trash they might.”
The Associated Students Organization (ASO) had a recycling program in the ’90s, according to Kathy Oborn, chair of Political Science & Economics & Criminal Justice. That was when Oborn was the headed the ASO.
The ASO had blue, green and black dumpsters at the back of the school.
“I don’t know what happened to it,” said Oborn.
Rumaldo wants to have all recycled goods recycled in their correct bins.
“We have already polluted the environment enough. A cardboard is worth recycling. It’s just messing with the environment,” said Rumaldo.
Rumaldo makes a lot of effort to leave a greenfoot print on the earth. She only uses water when she washes her car; she never uses any soaps or detergents. If she has a gum wrapper in her hand she puts it in her pocket until she finds the correct train container. She does not litter.
According to Rumaldo, the landfills in the United States are full of chemicals and carbon dioxide. Rumaldo believes that the pollution is already out there and people should want to keep the environment in balance as much as they can.
“I understand people need jobs and we can’t get rid of every company that is polluting the world, but we can at least try to lessen out footprint on the earth,” said Rumaldo.
