In the current climate of heightened political fervor and patriotism, I ask you - my fellow Americans - what are you doing for America Recycles Day?

That's right. Nov. 15 is America Recycles Day. Oh, you never heard of it?

Well, it's a call to action to do more at home, work, school and in the community. Do we want another year of the same status quo? Or do we want change?

Change is literally at our fingertips. We all have the freedom of choice. The choice to toss your paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, cardboard, etc. in the garbage or cast your vote for recycling.

The omniscient Yogi Berra once said, "Nothing ever changes if you don't change it." Hats off, Mr. Berra - so profound and so true.

I say we vote for change. We must change the way we look at the things we buy, discard and bury in the tombs we call modern day landfills. It's not garbage anymore; it's a resource. This concept requires a massive paradigm shift in the way we as a society think about garbage.

Let's face it, we live in a mass consumption society that is based upon convenience. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating we shed all the technological enhancements that have propelled us into the 21st century, but I think we need to take a good hard look at the stuff of our lives.

For example, product packaging has gotten completely out of control. The other day I bought a cup of coffee, which was presented to me in not one, but two cups, with an insulator sleeve and a plastic lid and several napkins. To add insult to injury, I was handed a sales receipt that was longer than my forearm. A well known comedian once quipped that, when procuring a cup of coffee and a doughnut, there is no need to add ink and paper to the transaction.

Electronics have now become disposable products. I still have my very first hand-held Texas Instruments calculator from the fourth grade. It cost my parents a small fortune, but it was built to last and still does a brilliant job of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. Today it is not uncommon for children to have cell phones, iPods, digital cameras, PDAs, PSPs and a whole host of video game players at home. All of which become obsolete when the latest and greatest version is released in a year or two.

Recently, I saw an ad on TV (yes, I have the old rabbit ears and I'm not planning on going down without a fight) where a small child was riding a bike that was electronically connected to the TV so a video game could be played and controlled by the child's pedaling action. What happened to the idea of riding a bike in the great outdoors with the wind blowing in your face?

How long before this electronic bicycle gizmo ends up in the landfill? A good friend of mine has coined a phrase describing the landfill as a Future Underground Depository for resources. Now the FUD may seem laughable, but it may not be out of the question. We have all heard of the excavated landfill that contained a 20 year-old hot dog still in pristine condition and by all signs still edible. (I'm not sure if this was due to the preservation capacity of the landfill, or the mysterious contents of the hot dog.)

On America Recycles Day, vote for less stuff, less packaging, less gizmos and change we can all benefit from. A change in the way we look at the things we buy, consume, and cast away to a place that is not out of sight and should never be out of mind.

Jim McHargue is the Amador County Solid Waste Program manager.