ELK GROVE/GALT, CA (MPG) - A local student and hip-hop artist is using music to teach her peers about recycling and the sorting of food waste through a new collaboration with area waste management company Cal-Waste.

Based in Galt, Cal-Waste operates throughout Sacramento and San Joaquin counties, providing residential, commercial and industrial waste collection and recycling services. Community education is a major focus for the company, particularly with school districts’ work to meet state requirements for food waste recycling.

“At Cal-Waste Recovery Systems, one of our primary focuses is helping schools implement and expand food waste recycling programs in their cafeterias,” said Cal-Waste Director of Education Leesa Klotz. “We want to support district compliance with California Senate Bill 1383, which aims to eliminate food from the landfill.”

The idea for the collaboration began after Klotz heard Boss Tootie, a sixth-grade music artist in the Elk Grove Unified School District, during a radio segment that highlighted her songwriting and performance skills.

“I immediately thought, ‘How fabulous would it be if Boss Tootie created a song and video that spoke to her peers about the importance of food waste recycling?” Klotz said.

 

In her recent collaboration with Cal-Waste in a song titled “Recycling is Easy,” local sixth-grade student and music artist Boss Tootie blends catchy tunes with facts to educate students about the importance and impact of recycling. Photo courtesy of Boss Tootie

Boss Tootie, 12-year-old Tia Young, agreed to collaborate and created a public service announcement titled “Recycling is Easy,” released Jan. 30. The video was filmed at the Cal-Waste facility in Galt and at Anna Kirchgater Elementary School in Sacramento, where Boss Tootie is a student.

The young hip hop talent has been creating music for about three years and has 18 songs in her repertoire. She has gained local recognition for her work and has been featured by media outlets including CapRadio, “Good Day Sacramento” and The Sacramento Observer.

In “Recycling is Easy,” Boss Tootie blends catchy tunes with facts to educate students about the importance and impact of recycling. The song emphasizes simple, everyday habits such as separating food waste from trash, making smart food choices and understanding how small actions can help the environment and future generations.

“The result was a fun, engaging learning experience for everyone involved and a unique, customized music video that speaks directly to elementary school students about the importance of food waste recycling,” said Klotz.

Young’s father and manager, Rinn Zee, said the project was a natural fit for his daughter and one she began working on immediately after Cal-Waste reached out.

 

Anna Kirchgater Elementary School Principal Jorge Leiva said the school was excited to film the video on campus and noted that Boss Tootie being the brains behind the music made the collaboration a strong example of student voice in the community. Photo courtesy of Gilliam Media Production

“She really just took something that she’d been practicing for a number of years at school in the cafeteria when they would eat at lunch,” Zee said. He added that he hopes the song has the same impact on listeners that it had on him, noting that he learned something new about recycling after hearing his daughter’s song.

Anna Kirchgater Elementary School Principal Jorge Leiva said the school was excited to film the video on campus and noted that Boss Tootie being the brains behind the music made the collaboration a strong example of student voice in the community.

“Having one of our own students, Boss Tootie, serve as the creative force and featured voice of the Cal-Waste recycling campaign was incredibly meaningful for our school community. It was a powerful example of student voice, creativity and leadership in action,” Leiva said.

“Students have expressed pride in seeing one of their peers featured in a professional campaign, and many have been talking about the song and its message,” he added.

Boss Tootie said the experience was both challenging and rewarding, a sign that her dedication to creating and promoting music is “paying off.”

Boss Tootie, 12-year-old Tia Young, a youth hip-hop artist and Elk Grove Unified School District student, is pictured stepping off a split-body truck in her music video, created in collaboration with Cal-Waste. Photo courtesy of Gilliam Media Production

“I felt super honored when Cal-Waste asked to team up with me because they’re one of Sacramento’s biggest recycling companies,” she said.

“It was my first time recording an educational song and video, and some parts were challenging for me, but I kept trying and finished it,” she said. “I felt really proud and happy about how everything turned out.”

Boss Tootie’s favorite part of filming this collaboration with Cal-Waste? Getting to do a ride-along on one of the split-body trucks.

“My favorite part was filming the video and getting the chance to ride in the Cal-Waste truck; it was so exciting,” she added.

Watch “Recycling Is Easy” on Boss Tootie’s YouTube channel, @BossTootieMusic, or view it at bit.ly/4rtS3DY. Learn more about Cal-Waste at cal-waste.com.