Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

zerowaste@recycleutah.org

Regenerative Agriculture

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Food – it’s said we can live three weeks without it. We rely on farmers to grow our grains, produce, meat and dairy and like everything, technology has changed with farming, too. Climate change is affecting farmers through higher temperatures, extreme weather events, drought, and floods. Europe has aggressive bills to cut subsidies on diesel, restore native ecosystems and limit pesticide use, but they also know that farmers need to live off their land and be able to invest in the future. How do we grow food without further wrecking Earth’s climate and biodiversity?

Like European farmers, U.S. farmers are also burdened by climate in addition to inflation, debt, and lack of control over pricing from big companies. Shifting our global food system in an era of higher temperatures and need for lower emissions is challenging! People need to be fed but how do we do it without further harming our environment?

What does this shift involve? It involves climate-smart practices that help farmers store more carbon pollution in soil and trees – agroforestry. When trees and shrubs are integrated with animal agriculture, carbon is sequestered, soil health improves, erosion is reduced, water is retained and crop yields increase. Regenerative agriculture including crop-rotation, cover-cropping, biochar and reforestation has been practiced worldwide for centuries but very little in the U.S.A. Funding is required for this transition from traditional practices.  

The United States Farm Bill package is revised every five years; it provides financial support to our farmers and forest-owners covering everything from food assistance and conservation practices to crop insurance and equipment purchases. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) bill has allotted 20 billion towards the 2023 Farm Bill (extended to fall 2024) to incorporate climate-smart practices within our farms and forest. Ask your member of Congress to protect this IRA funding to protect our forests and assist our farmers with the necessary transition to climate-smart farming: https://www.utah.gov/government/contactgov.html.

By Mary Closser

What Happens to your Trash and Recycling?

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You’ve probably been told countless times that you must monitor your plastic consumption, recycle, and compost. It would be a lot more beneficial for America if people knew the reason why.

What happens to your trash and recycling after it gets picked up? Many Americans don’t know the answer. For people living along the Wasatch Back, when your recycling is picked up it is taken to a transfer station in which it will be sorted and recyclables such as plastic, cardboard, paper, and aluminum, are sent to processing plants and recycled. When your garbage is picked up, it is brought to a landfill where it is dumped into a cell, and hard soil is placed on top of it as a cap. Other safeguards such as liners and detention pools prevent harmful substances from polluting the soil and creating harmful run-off.

Waste has very negative effects on the environment. Per year, an estimated 14 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans one way or another. Massive landfills emit carbon dioxide and methane through the breaking down of waste. Overall, waste production and removal are a problematic situation worldwide. Individuals can help by recycling and composting, but the best thing to do is always monitor what and how much you are throwing away.

By Grayson Rae, Sophomore at Park City High School

How Batteries Find a New Life at Recycle Utah

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In an era heavily influenced by technological advancements, batteries have become an integral component of our daily lives, powering an array of devices from remotes to sophisticated electric vehicles. However, the challenge arises when these batteries reach the end of their lifespan. Enter Recycle Utah, a reliable resource for the responsible disposal of any type of battery.

Recycle Utah streamlines the recycling process with drop-off bins outside our office, categorized for alkaline, rechargeable, and large batteries. Collaborating with industry leaders such as Battery Solutions and Interstate Batteries, Recycle Utah orchestrates the environmentally sound recycling journey of batteries, encompassing a wide range from alkaline to car batteries.

Within these recycling facilities, batteries undergo a systematic separation and disassembly process. Alkaline and zinc-based batteries are subjected to a specialized room temperature mechanical separation, yielding zinc and manganese concentrate, steel, and paper/plastic for reuse. Lithium-ion batteries, prominent in electronic devices, undergo a room temperature, oxygen-free mechanical process, producing cobalt and lithium salt concentrate, stainless steel, and aluminum. The intricate processes employed guarantee not only the recycling but the transformation of batteries into valuable materials to produce new items, contributing to a circular and sustainable battery economy.

In contemplating the repercussions of improper battery disposal, the potential release of toxic materials into the environment looms large, posing significant threats to both human health and ecosystems. Improper disposal, whether in landfills or through incineration, risks soil contamination and the emission of toxic fumes. Recycle Utah’s recycling processes serve as a safeguard against such environmental hazards, underscoring the importance of responsible battery recycling. Through partnerships, effective sorting, and advanced recycling technologies, Recycle Utah paves the way for a greener future where batteries find renewal without compromising environmental well-being.

By Chelsea Hafer

The Footprint of Online Returns

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Oh, the joy and convenience of typing a few keys in search of that perfect jacket, punching purchase, and having it arrive on your doorstep three days later. There are environmental pros and cons to both online and in-store purchases depending on one’s consumerism knowledge and awareness. The clencher is timing; our societal ‘now’ mindset wants items the next day after purchasing, which means the product could be transported by airplane or in a partially full truck. Can it wait? Also, can multiple items be purchased from the same supplier to minimize packaging and trips? Choosing slower shipping options not only saves money but also allows for retailers to have more time to plan and consolidate deliveries.

Then, there are the returns. Customers return at least 30% of clothing purchased online resulting in millions of tons of carbon emissions per year. Finally, the waste. About one in four returned goods is landfilled, possibly due to out of season styles. So, what is the best way to reduce returns from online shopping? So, how can you best reduce your returns when shopping online?

  1. Does the item have complete product information including customer reviews?
  2. Could retailers offer a discount on items that aren’t returned?
  3. Do retailers resell, donate, repurpose, or recycle returned clothes? Learn before you buy and find out how returns are handled.
  4. Are there local options for your desired online product?
  5. Do not purchase multiple sizes online knowing that a return is inevitable.
  6. Double check your ‘cart’ for size, color, etc. before purchasing.

In conclusion, knowing that we’re all drawn to online convenience, I’m still a fan of buying locally to support our businesses and save on packaging. Returns are less likely with in-store purchases. Research reveals only 9% of items are returned from in-store purchases versus 30% online. Let’s be mindful about how we buy things by consolidating errands and shopping to reduce car trips. The pandemic may have exacerbated online purchases, but there’s no reason we can’t tweak our buying behavior and reverse the trend.

By Mary Closser

Learning from Our Green Businesses

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In 2016, Recycle Utah initiated the Green Business Program providing free support to companies that are committed to undertaking specific sustainable operations actions. In 2022, they partnered with Park City Municipal, Summit County, and the Park City Chamber of Commerce enabling the program to become more rigorous with additional requirements, resources, and recognition for members. Currently 51 businesses participate and each has selected actions to undertake from 5 categories: energy efficiency, water conservation, materials management, transportation, and social equity. Depending on the number of actions businesses commit to, they move within the program from entry level green circle, to intermediate blue square, to the most aggressive black diamond level.

At January’s Green Drinks annual awards event, winning green businesses were recognized for their commitment to and success operating more sustainably. We can learn from their actions.

Park City Mountain Resort, performing at the highest black diamond level, is the 2023 Green Business of the Year. Perhaps the most noticeable of their sustainability initiatives is their waste diversion operation. Restaurant guests take their food trays to sorting stations and staff sort it into compostables, recyclables, soft plastic wraps and snack wrappers. This system keeps contamination from improper sorting to a minimum. There are trash, recycling, and snack wrapper cans for guests to use outside. Last year, Park City Mountain diverted a whopping 546 tons of waste from the landfill with 185 tons of it being food waste! To work, it takes our cooperation.

Abode Luxury Rentals won the Zest for Zero award which recognizes a company that has made fast progress entering the program. As they have done in their properties, their eco-friendly suggestions include reducing their heat to 55 degrees in unoccupied home; eliminating bottled water and liquid soap pump bottles; using timed aerated faucets; using dissolvable laundry detergent sheets; following local no-idling regulations; providing guests recycling bins and recycling guidelines; utilizing transit schedules and maps.

fulFILLed Lifestyle Co., another highest-level performer, won the People’s Choice Award. It is a zero waste and refill store located at the Outlets Park City. Their suggestions? Eliminate packaging by buying eco-friendly personal care and house cleaning products in containers you reuse and refill, and skip taking bags for your purchases!

By Bev Harrison

Eating Locally and Seasonally

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Nowadays, food items and goods are all easily accessible. Vast improvements in food preservation, transportation, and food production have helped the world in many ways. However, many people don’t consider the environmental impact of the modern food industry. Because you can now buy food imported from foreign countries, carbon emissions from vehicles which use non-renewable energy are emitted in massive quantities. In fact, the Journal of Industrial Ecology states, “Globally, food consumption accounts for 48% of household impacts on land resources and 70% of impacts on water resources.”  

Transportation of goods is only one factor that goes into the total amount of waste and carbon emissions that come from the food industry. Mass production of beef and poultry causes significant damage to the environment in the form of methane emissions and deforestation, to name a couple.  

So, what’s the solution? Eat locally and seasonally! Eating locally is within our control and has positive impacts on the environment. Buying food from local sources means that food doesn’t have to be transported over long distances. Buying local products also helps support small businesses and boosts the local economy. Local food is typically fresher, coming from nature to your plate in reduced time, and doesn’t require preservatives, which are potentially harmful for the body.   The same thing goes for seasonal food; eating the fruits and vegetables that are in season takes away some of the strain on farms to grow food out of season which may lead to problems with water, land-usage, and strain on resources. Buying food that’s out of season also means that it’s likely being shipped in from someplace else, which creates a high carbon footprint. Lastly, buying food that is in season will be less expensive because of supply and demand. We are lucky to live in Park City where we have numerous local suppliers, from which to buy locally grown, fresh food. Try researching local suppliers in Park City and you will most definitely find what you’re looking for. 

By Grayson Rae, Sophomore at Park City High School