Bags of feces, soiled tissues and kitty litter — all items that should be found in the garbage can or flushed down the toilet bowl. Instead, these discards are often dumped at the recycling center in Boulder Creek, making it the messiest of three recycling sites the Valley Women’s Club operates in the valley, said Nancy Macy, the club’s director of recycling.
“Overall, the stuff people leave is disgusting,” Macy said. “The real problem is the people that think everything is recyclable. Obviously, used tampons and toilet paper is not.”
If Macy seems frustrated, that’s because she is. The Boulder Creek center has just one operator, who, for the most part, enjoys the outdoor job and the people. That is, until it gets nauseating, Macy said.
“The site is very demanding for just one person and processing the volume is a constant challenge,” Macy said. “When that volume is mixed with those materials, it just gets overwhelming.”
About 50 percent of valley residents use curbside pickup to recycle their goods. The rest use one of the three recycling sites in Ben Lomond, Felton and Boulder Creek, Macy said. The Boulder Creek center receives about 4,300 pounds of recyclables a week and is the smallest in the area.
“It’s the messiest site,” Macy said. “Many people in Boulder Creek don’t have curbside pickup services, and what happens is that people think we’ll take anything.”
Macy said other unwanted materials she has seen at the Boulder Creek site include car batteries, tires and appliances, which are only accepted at the Ben Lomond Transfer Station.
“Stuff that should go to Goodwill, like clothing, furniture and books, gets dropped off, too,” Macy said.
She pointed out that Goodwill has an extensive system for recycling and reusing items that aren’t used in its stores.
The Valley Women’s Club, which operates the centers, pleads with recyclers to mind their matter and keep all trash out of the recycling center, Macy said. Curbside pickup services, such as GreenWaste garbage, are also encouraged for easy disposal and recycling, she said.
“We’ve had to take care of the stuff that shouldn’t be brought ourselves,” Macy said. “But it’s time-consuming, and some of the stuff is hazardous material we shouldn’t be handling.”
At a glance
• WHAT: Boulder Creek Recycling Center
• WHEN: Staffed from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; closed Sundays and Mondays
• DETAILS: Recycling centers in Felton and Ben Lomond are open daily.
• INFO: 338-1728 or www.vwcweb.org
