Fresno State takes out the trash every day

FRESNO, Calif. – There are hundreds of trashcans all over campus that help keep Fresno State clean. Keeping them from overflowing requires a crew of more than 60 custodians working three separate shifts. When something needs to be cleaned they’re the ones to do it.

One of the men responsible for leading the custodians is Facilities Management Director Jeff Prickett.

“Our custodial staff goes through and takes that trash and recycle, and dumps it appropriately into the various dumpsters around campus trying to keep that as separate as they can,” Prickett said.

Trashcans outside come in three different colors. Grey cans are meant for landfill, blue cans are meant for recyclables and green cans are for organic waste. The facilities management website shows what type of trash should go where.

For all the trashcans on campus, Fresno State has over 40 dumpsters that get filled daily. They are serviced and emptied in the morning hours. Mid Valley Disposal is the company that services each of these dumpsters. Their crews empty each dumpster and take the trash to a waste management facility.

Fresno State student Dakota Dean says communication is key to helping people understand the importance of throwing away trash and recycling.

“I think that, honestly we just have to keep telling our students and telling each other to just clean up after themselves,” Dean said.

Dean believes if people are more mindful of where they throw away trash then campus will look and feel cleaner.

“It’s not that hard honestly and the best way to have less trash to dispose of is to generate less trash and less waste, which is just by being mindful of your spending habits, your buying habits, those sorts of things,” Dean said.

Custodial services is responsible for cleaning up trash in more than 70 buildings — and the trash never stops.

To find out more about how trash collection is handled at Fresno State, contact facilities management.