There’s gold in them thar trash cans.

For some, its a way to make a few extra dollars while lightening the burden on the county landfill off Highway 49 North.

For others, its a fulltime job, scouring trash cans and culverts for aluminum beer cans and plastic soda bottles from which they generate a meager living. A few folks even resort to stealing, taking from bins placed by Mariposa County’s recycling program.

“Some might say, ‘desperate times, so desperate measures,’” Mariposa County Recycling Coordinator Karen Dusek said. “But it’s a form of theft and it’s wrong. It takes from our partners (who empty the bins).”

The County has two designed recycling centers where local folks can return aluminum, glass and plastic for money as mandated by California’s Beverage Container Recycling Program.

Consumers know that when they pick up a sixpack, a California Redemption Value fee of $.30 is added, five cents for each can or bottle. When people return the containers, they get the CRV fee back.

That’s how it works, in theory. In practice, there’s been a wrinkle at the rePLANET facility in the Pioneer Market parking lot. The facility has two machines that accepted glass, aluminum and plastic until recently. About two weeks ago, however, operator TOMRA of Corona, Calif. adjusted the machines to prevent them accepting plastic bottles.

That has more than a few customers peeved, facility attendant Josh Martins said.

“A lot of them are irritated,” Martins said. “I can count them by hand, but I’m only allowed to count out 50 at a time.”

TOMRA spokesman Matt Millhiser said that the company was losing money on plastic items submitted for refund through the machines. CalRecycle, the state recycling agency, mandates a flat return of either five or 10 cents per container. But when TOMRA takes those items to cash in at a state-approved byweight rate, the operator loses money, Millhiser said.

“It came to a point where it was not sustainable for us to do this,” he said. “It was creating a financial hardship.”

TOMRA operates more than 260 “reverse vending machines” statewide that take recyclables. The operator is asking the state to revise its compensation rate. If it does, the machines will again accept plastic.

That may happen “as soon as September,” Millhiser said.

That won’t be soon enough for Martins, however.

“When the machine (is recalibrated) it will be easier for me because I won’t have to count them one at a time,” Martins said. “It will be easier for (customers) and for me, basically.”

Customers much prefer using the machine, because the machine yields more money per load of plastic, Martins explained.

“A lot of the homeless people (who collect recyclables) like to use the machines,” he said. “There’s one guy that comes by with a whole car full. He’d be here for half and hour to 45 minutes, just feeding them in one at a time.”

People who recycle also have the option of bringing recyclables to the landfill and recycling center off Highway 49 North.

There, people have their items counted or weighed. Then they receive a voucher that can be redeemed for cash at the center’s scale house.

Many folks opt to apply the recycling revenue towards their dump fee, Dusek said.

Many residents do not enjoy trash pickup, and pay dump fees when they deposit rubbish at the County facility.