“Trash. Garbage. Junk.” These are words we commonly call the things we throw away. But in San Francisco they have a completely different perspective. They see “waste” as “resources,” materials that can always be recycled and turned into new things. They give purpose to the stuff most people may see as otherwise useless. Dedicated to protecting the environment, they’re aiming to make the city 100% waste free by 2020. It sounds like a daunting goal, but as this film reveals, they’re surprisingly close to doing so.

Now, you may wonder how exciting can a documentary on trash be? The short answer is very. The city’s passion for going green is unbelievably contagious. For everyone from the mayor, to those who work in the field, to the citizens – the idea of ensuring everything can be reused has reached a collective fever pitch. Their mission has given them a sense of pride that’s overwhelmingly inspiring. The innovative methods and programs displayed in Racing to Zero provide a blueprint for change that can hopefully be applied to all of America.