Spread the Love—of Recycling!
During the holidays, many of us welcome loved ones into our homes—sometimes from far away. As you reconnect with friends and family, you can use this quality time to teach your out-of-town guests some helpful tips to reduce, reuse, and recycle. It’s a gift that keeps on giving!
Set Up Sorting Stations
- Place attractive sorting stations where people are gathering
- Ask your younger guests to create fun signs!
- Keep additional bins in spots like the bathroom (yes, empty TP rolls are recyclable!), or where you’re unwrapping gifts
Encourage Creative Wrapping
- Reuse materials like shopping bags or beautiful scarves
- Save your wrapping paper to reuse year after year
- Glitter is a big no-no—keep it out of your recycling
Give Experiences as Gifts
- Take a guest on a visit to a local museum or exhibition
- Plan an excursion to go on together, like a sunset picnic or a hike at Mt. Diablo
- Extend your memories with a digital photo album to share!
If you’ve got your own ideas for reducing holiday waste, share them with us! The key is to be positive—you don’t have to be a Grinch to be green!
Real Recyclers, Episode 2
Harvest Helpers
Our Real Recyclers of Lafayette, the Knolle family, got to work with Contra Costa Fruit Rescue picking pears and apples in Lafayette earlier this year.
They found a nearby shift online and signed up (you can sign up as little as a few days before, but a week is better!), then got the address and shift info. When they showed up to the designated spot, it was time to follow the lead of harvest leader Pat Shultz.
Pat taught the group how to correctly pick fruit from trees without causing damage and how to use a fruit-picking pole. “She shared so much about the fruit itself,” Laura Knolle reported, feeling a new appreciation for the hard work it takes to make harvests happen. “We left feeling tired yet proud of our efforts!”
Contra Costa Fruit Rescue hosts harvests in yards and orchards and donates the bounty to local people and food banks. The Knolles took home a bag of fruit and some pretty great photos of their day.
Want to help harvest in your area? Check our website for ways to volunteer: RecycleSmart.org/volunteer and more about food recovery here: RecycleSmart.org/food-recovery.
Some Pear-fect Ways to Reduce Food Waste!
- Let your fruit ripen at room temperature on the counter! Once ripe, store them in the fridge to extend their shelf life.
- If you’re hoping to speed up the ripening process, you can add them to a paper bag with a banana or apple. These release ethylene, a natural plant hormone that promotes ripening.
- Buy only as much as you need! Often times we buy everything we want to eat for the upcoming week or two, but when fruit is extra fresh, its shelf life is shorter. Consider buying less and planning meals for the week so you waste less.
- Freeze your fruit! If your fruit is ripe but you just can’t eat it all, cut it up and place it in a bag in your freezer. You can then use it in smoothies, pancakes, yogurt bowls, or whatever you like to add fruit to!
- Compost rotten fruit! When you do have food waste, make sure you add it to your compost bin so it doesn’t end up releasing methane at the landfill.
Choose the Winners!
The nominations for our community waste reduction grant are in. It’s time for grantee selection, and Central Contra Costa residents get to choose! Voting is open now through November 30th at ContraCostaRecycles.com
Changing Our Food System,
for the Climate
In 2016, Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill (SB) 1383 as part of a much larger climate initiative. The bill’s goal was to limit greenhouse gas emissions, especially methane, from being released by rotting organics in landfills. The bill also planned to reduce waste—and feed more people—at all levels of our food system.
THE PROBLEM
- Approximately 35% of all food produced in the U.S. goes to waste
- Before SB 1383, organics made up half of what Californians dumped in landfills.
- Landfills produce 20% of the state’s methane, a climate “super pollutant” that heats the atmosphere 84 times as much as carbon dioxide.
Statewide Goals
- By 2020: 50% less organic waste sent to landfills
- By 2025: 75% less organic waste sent to landfills
- 2025: 20% more edible food recovered
Results Statewide
of unsold food was recovered by local programs in 2023
of unsold food was recovered by local programs in 2023
Results in contra costa county
Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
meals saved
tons kept out of landfills
White Pony
Express
meals saved
tons kept out of landfills
Contra Costa
Fruit Rescue
pounds of local fruits harvested in 2025
pounds of local fruits harvested since January 2023
Sources:
https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/food-waste-and-its-links-greenhouse-gases-and-climate-change
Feed People & Fight Climate Change, CalRecycle, 9-12-2024 https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp/
Learn more about food recovery at RecycleSmart.org/food-recovery and SB 1383 at RecycleSmart.org/foodgenerators. For info about how you can get involved today, tomorrow, or ongoing, visit RecycleSmart.org/volunteer. Thank you!
Text “Hello Recycling bin” anytime to 925-940-5795 to turn on our sorting bot!
Jeff M., Moraga
A Letter for Better Packaging
Dear RecycleSmart,
Love a product but not its packaging? Email the company your feedback! It only takes a minute. Here’s a template you can share with your readers:
Dear [Company Name],
I really enjoy your [product name] but can’t help but notice the waste left over from the packaging. As a loyal customer, I would love to see you switch to recyclable or compostable packaging. It would make a huge difference.
Thank you for your consideration.
Kindly,
[Name]
From the editor: Great tip! To get in the loop on California’s responsible packaging legislation, visit calrecycle.ca.gov/packaging/packaging-epr
Do you have any tips you’d like to share?
Send your ideas to Authority@RecycleSmart.org
Holiday Pickups
There’s nothing like the smell of fresh greenery for the holidays. And when you’re done with it, here’s how to prepare for pickup service.
- Remove all lights, ornaments, tinsel and stands (metal, plastic, or wood!)
- Cut trees to 6’ or less
- Flocked trees (with fake snow) are trash! They can be collected for a fee. Or, cut them to fit inside your landfill container with the lid closed
Alert! It’s around the corner! Christmas 2025 and New Year’s Day 2026 both fall on Thursdays. Our truck drivers have Christmas and New Years Day off. Then they work over the weekend to make sure every home gets its weekly service.
What this means for you:
- Thursday service days: if your normal service day is Thursday, your pickups will be on Friday, December 26th and January 2nd.
- Friday service days: If your normal service day is Friday, instead your pickups will be on Saturday, December 27th and January 3rd.
Holiday tree pickups will be in January on the same day as your regular garbage service but by a separate truck. Watch for a postcard announcing your tree pickup date.
Place trees in or near your usual enclosure.
Holiday trees will be picked up:
- Week of Jan 5–9 Complexes in Alamo, Blackhawk, Canyon, Danville, Diablo, and Walnut Creek (including unincorporated areas)
- Week of Jan 12–16 Complexes in Lafayette, Moraga, and Orinda (including unincorporated areas)
Missed your pickup? You can cut up your tree and place it in the organics cart. Make sure the lid is closed or your complex will be charged an extra fee. Call 925-685-4711 to schedule extra pickups.
Homemade Ornaments
Make your own salt dough ornaments this season with natural, compostable ingredients! A great addition to your tree or a fun gift for friends and family.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 200°.
Step 2: To a bowl, add 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of salt, and slowly add 1 ½ cups of water.
Step 3: You can add food coloring or natural scents such as lavender and rosemary.
Step 4: Mix and knead together.
Step 5: Roll dough out and cut shapes or imprint your hand! Use chopsticks or a pencil to make a hanger hole.
Step 6: Bake until hard, about an hour.
Step 7: Once cooled, add ribbon or string and enjoy your decor!