Fresno Recyclers Work In the Shadows

BY COLBY TIBBIT, KEIRRA WOODS and KEISHAYE WOODS YOUTH REPORTERS

FRESNO -- For over 30 years, Mike Rhyne has been waking up at 2 a.m. to begin his workday.

He earns enough to support his lifestyle -- between $500600 a week – and like many people who choose to be selfemployed, Rhyne enjoys the autonomy.

“The freedom that comes with it -- it’s rewarding,” said Rhyne, of his preferred job.

waste, and car parts, which people “scrap” for cash. Many customers that recycle live near the centers and are considered regulars -- coming several times a week or even multiple times a day.

Like many recyclers, Rhyne works the early hours for several reasons.

“One, it’s cooler during the summer,” said Rhyne. “Summer is the busiest part of the year for recycling companies, due to more people drinking soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and water from cans and bottles.”

“And the other is you don’t get bothered as much,” he added.

That sentiment, shared by other recyclers, is compounded by Fresno’s recent shopping cart ordinance, which makes it illegal to be seen with a shopping cart outside of grocery stores and parking lots. Recycling in the dark and quiet of night makes it easier to avoid the fines or even misdemeanor charges that accompany the ordinance, for recyclers who rely on shopping carts for hauling their materials.

“You need to be quick and quiet,” said Santiago Ruiz, a regular from the neighborhood. “I use my bike and my

On runs, recyclers follow routes - paths taken through neighborhoods and businesses. Though recyclers like to keep their routes consistent, recyclers respect the “first come, first served” rule.

This makes backup routes important for those whose survival depends on recycling revenue, like Ruiz who started when he ran out of options.

“I went broke and stopped asking [for] money from my family,” he said.

Eliana Owens, 29, started recycling because of her brother, who is mentally disabled.

Owens and her two brothers are homeless. She left her previous job when taking care of her brother began to take too much time. Now the three recycle together, generating enough cash for food and, if they’re lucky, a place to stay.

“I make about 50 dollars a day,” said Owens. “Anything I can get, plastic, metal, everything,” she added. Owens regularly collects microwaves, bed frames, computer parts and extension cords which can all be broken down and sold by weight.

Rhyne is a recycler. Every morning he walks his shopping cart through Fresno’s residential neighborhoods and business districts to collect bottles, cans, and other recyclables from bins.

Then he takes the daily harvest to Bulldog Recycling, where he exchanges the used materials he’s collected on the streets for cash.

Tucked between California Highway 99 and “Motel Drive” in an area known for high druguse, prostitution, and transient families, Bulldog

Recycling is one of four large-scale recycling centers, and more than 25 smaller recycling operations, in Fresno that recyclers frequent on a daily basis to make ends meet. Bulldog Recyling alone receives visits from about 150 recyclers per day, including Rhyne.

The large-scale recycling centers not only take plastic bottles and aluminum cans, but also metals, electronic hands,” he added.

Ruiz, 42, is a typical recycler. He does 4-5 runs each day, and earns $7 to $20 per run.

Owens uses her bare hands and her hammer to break apart materials. Separating aluminum from steel generates higher revenue. It’s hard labor, but Owens sees the difference when she gets paid.

“Everything adds up,” she said.

Those who use their shopping carts to work late nights, walking up and down alleys and curbsides to avoid runins with law enforcement, say it’s an honest living and better than some of the alternatives.

“I could be selling drugs,” said Ruiz. “It’s dirty, but its money.”