Crossings TV Asian Television – Home to Asian Americans
By: Sue Vang, Senior Environmental Scientist, CalRecycle
Every November, America Recycles Day reminds us that our small actions, like recycling a can or composting an apple core, can have a big impact for our planet and our future generations. As a Californian, an environmental scientist, and an Asian American, this day holds deep meaning for me.
Growing up, I learned the importance of resourcefulness and respect for the environment not in classrooms, but from my family’s everyday habits. Like many Californians in diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, my parents believed nothing should go to waste. They made the most of every ingredient in the kitchen. Our fridge was full of food packaging containers from the grocery store that we would reuse to store leftovers. Clothes were repaired or passed along to siblings and cousins when we outgrew them.
These simple acts taught me that wasting less is one of the simplest ways to care for our planet and those who come after us.
Why Recycling Matters More Than Ever
Californians throw away 40 million tons of materials each year. When food scraps and beverage containers end up in landfills, they waste valuable resources and release harmful climate pollution that leads to more droughts and wildfires. But when we recycle and compost properly, we:
- Reduce litter and pollution
- Conserve our limited natural resources
- Protect our climate
- Build a healthier future for our children.
Reducing waste and recycling doesn’t have to be complicated. It starts with small, consistent choices that add up to a powerful collective impact.
3 Easy Ways to Make a Difference Today
- Recycle bottles and cans. Make sure your cans, bottles, and other California Redemption Value (CRV)-labeled beverage containers – which now include wine and liquor bottles – are empty and dry before you redeem them for cash at over 1,300 recycling sites. Find a site near you at RecyclingReimaginedCA.com/cash-for-crv. They can also be recycled in your curbside blue bin.
- Compost your food scraps. Don’t toss your fruit and vegetable peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, bones, or old rice! Compost them in your green bin so they can be turned into nutrient-rich compost or renewable energy instead of releasing gases that lead to climate pollution. Get a kitchen countertop container for easy food scrap collection or freeze your food scraps until your weekly curbside pickup day. Check out what you can put in your green bin and other tips at RecyclingReimaginedCA.com/curb-your-food-scraps/.
- Reduce and reuse first. The best thing we can do for the planet is to not create waste in the first place. Choose reusable bags, bottles, and containers, and always look for items that can be reused or repaired, or made from recycled materials. Many of our families already do this, and it’s a tradition worth continuing.
Sustainability is a Shared Legacy
When I think of my earliest experiences with sustainability, I think of my parents composting fruit and vegetable scraps in our garden and using almost all parts of an animal to prepare a meal, and my grandmother collecting CRV containers and repairing clothes and other items before buying new. These acts of care connected us to one another and to the earth while helping save money.
At CalRecycle, we’re working to make recycling easier and more effective. But real change happens when you take action, at home, at school, and in your community. Every container, every composted food scrap, and every reused bag brings us closer to a cleaner California.
As we celebrate America Recycles Day on November 15, let’s honor our families, our communities, and our planet by making daily choices that protect our future.
To learn more about how Californians are rethinking recycling and building a waste-free future, visit RecyclingReimaginedCA.com.