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.

When Boulder Creek resident Colter White and his attorney, Ben Rice, walked into the hearing that would determine his fate this week, the odds were against them.