City Council members voted to ban CVR recycling centers in a unanimous vote

Fresno, Calif. (KFSN) -- Scared business owners and residents shared their concerns with councilmembers before they voted Thursday night on an amendment that will take CVR recycling centers off the streets.

"People sleeping in our parking lots, people throwing things, needles paraphernalia breaking water pipes," said

Business owners near these centers say people are afraid to go to work and get out of their cars because of the violence vandals bring to the areas.

"They are the hub for crime, vandalism drug use, and someone had to step up and that was me," said Paul Caprioglio, Fresno City Councilman.

Caprioglio says if the recycling centers want to continue their business they will have to work with grocers-- meaning all recycling will be done inside of the stores. Store owners are worried bringing this business inside will create health hazards and contamination and if they do not comply, they will be fined $100 dollars per day.

"Garbage cans full of cans and bottles that are just dripping all over your store it's a safety hazard.

For some people, trading in cans at recycling centers is how they make a living.

"We didn't ask to be like this," said Jennie Calderon.

Jennie Calderon lives in a van with her husband and says after she lost her mom two years ago. She fell hard and cannot seem to get back up.

"We eat like once a day unless we get lucky and we get a lot of cans but without these places, we have to resort to probably doing illegal stuff," said Calderon.

Councilmembers say they see both sides of the issue and there will be designated recycling centers in industrial areas in South Fresno -- still giving people a place to recycle while hoping to decrease ongoing crime near neighborhoods and businesses.

"That is the purpose and the goal, to put us back into the great quality of life Fresno has had in the past and will have in the future as a result of this amendment," said Caprioglio.