Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

Sustainable Materials

A Sustainable Holiday Season

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The holiday season is a time for joy, laughter, and memories. However, the holiday season can be one of the most wasteful times… Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving to New Year’s holiday period than any other time of year. According to a Stanford study, this extra waste “amounts to 25 million tons of garbage or about 1 million extra tons per week.” There are a few things we can do to help bring this number down for the upcoming holiday season. 

You can’t have a great holiday feast without doing the grocery shopping for it. When shopping, however, it is important to use reusable bags. If you do end up using plastic bags, they do not belong in your curbside bin. You can bring them to Recycle Utah.

The holiday season is also a time when many are upgrading their electronics, such as phones, TV, appliances, and more. It is important not to throw outdated devices into the trash; they contain toxic substances such as lead and mercury that can harm surrounding environments, wildlife, and even humans if left to degrade in landfills. Rather, bring them to a local recycler who accepts them, such as Recycle Utah! They have a list of acceptable electronic items on their website. 

Overall, sustainability during the holiday season is incredibly important. Considering about 80 percent of what is thrown away during the holidays can be recycled or repurposed, sustainable practices should be on everybody’s mind. 

By Pearson Ehrich

Ethical Cooking Oils

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Have you ever wondered how ethical your favorite cooking oil is? A daily amount of these fatty liquids is necessary for our body, skin and hair, yet it’s important to be aware of the type we consume. Avoid hydrogenated oils, high in trans fats, often found in corn, safflower, soy, corn and more. How the oil is processed is also important.

Most oils come from extracting and expressing parts of plant seeds or nuts and extraction often requires a cleaning agent which can be unhealthy for workers. Some oils have become so popular that industrial farming prevails which can involve pesticides, soil erosion, water scarcity, and more. It’s important to know who’s behind the scenes in your choice oil’s production.

Rapeseed or ‘Canola’ oil, widely popular in the 1970’s, is now mostly genetically modified and higher in trans fats. Olive and Coconut Oil, staples for many, are healthy and delicious but it’s important to purchase organic certification from independent producers invested in sustainable sourcing. Palm oil is mostly harvested in Malaysia and Indonesia where deforestation is threatening certain keystone species and ecosystems, not to mention workers’ rights.

Supermarket shelves are loaded with oil options – it’s up to us to know where and how to look. The more ethical oils will be organic, non-GMO, unrefined and cold-pressed. Those in glass are often higher quality and easier to recycle. Lastly, don’t put used or old oil down the drain – it’s not a friend to water! Bring it to Recycle Utah in the summer to be recycled into biofuel.

By Mary Closser

Sustainable Holiday Planning

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The holidays are upon us and being green can require foresight. Americans throw away 25% more trash and 33% more food between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Read on for tips to keep your sustainability in check this holiday season:

  1. Gifts: Support our local economy, less packaging and a lower carbon footprint by buying local verses online. Buy local gift cards and experiences at favorite restaurants, movies or spas. Bake, knit, frame photos, make jewelry or fun playlists. Shop at thrift stores.
  2. Gift Wrap: Use old comics, maps or reusable fabrics for a fun twist. Save bows, ribbons and gift boxes for next year.
  3. Energy: Use only LED holiday lights inside and out for energy efficiency, financial savings and also to generate less heat on trees and garland. And, recycle old electronics.
  4. Transportation: Errands galore! Try to hit as many stops as possible in one trip rather than a few every day. Try the bus – make a NO CAR pledge day. Be smart and organized, and don’t forget the cloth reusable bags!
  5. Tree: Buy sensibly. Many lot-filled trees have been sprayed so ask questions. Obtain a permit to cut a tree or buy a new houseplant to decorate. Fake trees are okay if you can commit to storing and using it for 20+ years. Lastly, always compost your tree through the local program at a community drop-off. 

This holiday – and beyond – have a closer look at what you buy for yourself and others. Like dominoes, our day-to-day efforts will start to spiral towards a positive result if we all partake.

By Mary Closser

This Thanksgiving Be Thankful, Not Wasteful

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For many, Thanksgiving is a time filled with family gatherings, time-honored traditions, and, best of all, delicious food. However, did you know that in the U.S. during Thanksgiving week, according to NRDC, over 200 million pounds of food will be thrown out? Here are a few ways to reduce food waste, and your carbon footprint, while still enjoying the holiday:

  1. Ready-set-plan: Make a menu plan for the holiday meals you are serving and create a thorough grocery list. Stick to the list in the grocery store and buy only what you need. 
  2. Buy local: If possible, buy local or organic food. The closer the food, the lower the environmental impact thanks to fewer “food miles”.
  3. Toss the turkey: Traditionally, turkey is the star of the Thanksgiving meal, but raising one 16-pound turkey is the equivalent of driving your car over 180 miles! If your guests are feeling adventurous, many brands offer plant-based alternatives.
  4. Get festive for the feast: This is the time to break out the good dishes and linens. Not only will you create a beautiful setting for your meal, but you will also reduce the need for single-use items such as paper plates or plastic cups.
  5. Prepare to share: If you are hosting guests, ask them to bring reusable containers so everyone can share in the leftovers!

We have so many reasons to be thankful this year! Enjoy this special holiday–and maybe start a few new “green” traditions this Thanksgiving.

By Pearson Ehrich

Eco-Handwarmers

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Winter is approaching, including cold ski days – what does one do about eco-friendly hand warmers? We know about the heaps of trash being deposited into landfills, so how can we help reduce this? It’s so easy to purchase low-cost plastic-wrapped, single-use hand warmers, but what’s in these things anyway, in addition to the waste alone?

The hand and foot warmer industry is growing! There are currently four types on the market: 1. Disposable Air-activated, 2. Reusable sodium acetate, 3. Lighter Fuel, and 4. Reusable/Rechargeable.

Air-activated hand warmers emit heat when exposed to air. After all the iron has reacted, this product is most likely landfilled. Most of these single-use warmers can be toxic – you wouldn’t want your pet to eat them. Sodium Acetate warmers require a bit of labor but are a decent reusable option. Reusable lighter-fuel warmers are interesting and lastly there are battery-operated warmers. Any warmer that is reusable is the most cost efficient, depending on how often you require warmers.

Air-activated warmers are only compostable if the filling is organic. If the inner compounds are synthetic (usually), soil will be damaged. Moral of the story – know your product. If hand and foot warmers are a necessity for you or your family, perhaps it’s time for a battery charged option (with reusable batteries) or even the Sodium Acetate variety. If you rarely use warmers, then disposables may suffice. This is life. Weigh it out, always considering the landfill, our water, air, and soil. Good luck!

By Mary Closser

Happy (Green) Halloween!

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It’s Halloween time! Unfortunately, this season is often marked by plastic-fibered, cheaply produced costumes, masks, and decorations that are made in highly polluting overseas factories and shipped to big box stores. Americans spend billions of dollars on this stuff. And after a year or two? They throw it in the trash.

“Trick or treat!” Halloween’s #1 fun-filled activity is about collecting individual plastic-wrapped sweets in large plastic bags. And what usually happens to the leftovers? They are thrown in the trash.

Pumpkins galore! Often trucked to us from faraway commercial farms. We carve them into Halloween faces. Fun! Most end up in landfills where, like all food waste, they produce methane gas.

Make Halloween a green holiday. Organize and participate in a costume swap. Use parts of costumes to create new looks. Hit thrift shops and put costumes together from reusable materials. Make festive decorations made out of organic material. Store everything for another year. Buy locally grown pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks. Use pumpkin flesh for baking and seeds for roasting a tasty snack. Leftover pieces are nutritious food for animals such as squirrels and deer. Compost pumpkins. Use small recyclable or reusable trick or treat bags and consider how many sweets you want your children and you to eat. Don’t end up throwing out sweets in their plastic wrappers!

Enjoy the season’s experiences without the waste – Fall Harvest Festivals, Corn Mazes, Halloween Yards, BooLights, WitchFests, Pumpkin Days, hayrides, Little Haunts, Halloween Trains, Haunted Hollows, films, fun runs. Happy Halloween!

By Bev Harrison