Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

Sustainable Materials

Recycled Metal is Always Precious

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Metals are elements mined from ores. Unlike glass and plastics which are produced from natural resources, we can’t make more metal like iron, aluminum, lead, copper. That keeps the demand and value of used metal high. Nearly all metals are infinitely recyclable without degradation. Scrap metal dealers pay recyclers for their scrap metal. They haul Recycle Utah’s mixed metal dumpster to a scrap metal yard where it is sorted, separated from non-metallic material, crushed, and compacted into large blocks. These are transported to a steel mill where they are melted in furnaces into metal sheets and ingots. We should be diligent about recycling metal. Recycled metal is vastly cheaper than mining ore. It significantly reduces manufacturers’ use of natural resources and energy. It provides recyclers some steady income.

So, what metals go into our curbside recycling bins? If it’s metal and food came in it, put it in your bin and make sure it is 90% clean. Labels do not need to be removed. Recycle aluminum cans, trays, pans, and foil. Keep top tabs attached to or inside crushed cans. Put steel and tin cans, metal bottles and caps into your bin as well.

What goes into Recycle Utah’s metals dumpster? Any non-hazardous item containing at least 70% metal! For example: washers, dryers, stoves, microwaves, bed frames, bikes, grills, cast and wrought iron, cans, golf clubs, tools, and car parts.

By Bev Harrison

Reach Out for Sustainably-Produced Goods

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Demand for recycled materials fluctuates over time. Now, because the demand for cardboard is low, our local recyclers are paying to have it stored. However, cardboard continues to be
diverted from the landfill by our local recyclers and that is an important consideration. (Like food waste, cardboard is biodegradable, and as such, produces methane gas as it breaks down.)

One market trend that remains is consumers opting to purchase sustainably-produced goods.
Sustainable shopping feels good. It reflects our concerns about the environment at a time of
dramatic climate change, visible increases in land, air, and water pollution, a growing
scarcity of natural resources, a decrease in animal populations, and increasing reports of the ill effects of chemical additives to a wide range of products. Our buying more sustainably-
produced goods put pressure on retailers to purchase a larger amount and variety of recycled material. It creates new and different jobs and fosters research and product development.

In order to bolster their authenticity, loyalty, and revenue, retailers are having to pay attention to consumers’ increased demand for sustainable products. It is happening. There are ever more rigorously tested, high-quality sustainably made products for sale. Read their labels and make product comparisons. Choose to be in the growing group of Americans who are shopping sustainably and know by doing so, you are increasing the demand for recycled materials.

By Bev Harrison

The (Un)Sustainability of Tetra Paks

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“Is this recyclable?”, “Which bin does this go in?”, and “What is this even made of?” are questions us recyclers are often asking ourselves while we examine a package searching for the small recycling symbol and trying to determine the material it’s made of. Recently, packaging has become more obscure with waxy-paper-like rectangular cartons that we find in our local stores containing non-dairy milks, broths, juices, soups, and other foods.

Cartons are made primarily with paperboard and are either aseptic or non-aseptic. Aseptic cartons, or shelf-stable cartons, include paperboard, an internal aluminum layer, and a plastic seal. Non-aseptic cartons, or refrigerated cartons, don’t have the aluminum layer, and thus have a shorter shelf life and require refrigeration.

When compared to glass jars, tin cans, and retort pouches, the aseptic and non-aseptic cartons require less energy to produce and are drastically lighter, making their production and transportation carbon footprint smaller. However, aseptic and non-aseptic cartons are very difficult to recycle due to their mixed-material composition.

Here in Summit County, non-aseptic cartons can be recycled as plastic, but aseptic cartons cannot be recycled due to their aluminum lining. Tetra Pak, the Swedish-Swiss conglomerate producing aseptic cartons, stamp the recycling symbol on their cartons but only 30% of their cartons are actually recycled. Without a machine specialized in separating each material in an aseptic carton, it cannot be recycled. Recycle Utah’s recommendation is to purchase your goods in glass jars and tin cans as those are materials that can be reused and recycled without losing quality.

By Addison Marr

Fluorocarbon Ski Wax

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This past summer, Park City and Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District found Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) in our local groundwater and wastewater. PFAs are known as “forever chemicals” because of the amount of time it takes them to decompose and are found in various products including nonstick cookware, cleaning products, food wrappers and containers, clothing, and cosmetics. The PFAS polluting the local water systems are likely to be from fluorinated ski waxes also called fluorocarbon waxes used for Nordic skiing, Downhill racing, and recreational skiing.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned PFAS prior to the 2022 Winter Olympics and while local shops haven’t carried fluorocarbon ski waxes for several years, they continue to be sold online and are likely still in many skiers homes and garages. As an environmentally conscious community, the pollution from PFAs to our local water is a reminder that we live, work, and play on our local groundwater aquifer. 

As a skier and a community member, you can help keep PFAs out of our water system by identifying if your ski wax contains is fluorinated and properly disposing of it if it is. Fluorocarbon ski wax will state fluorocarbon, fluoro, high fluoro (HF), or low fluoro (LF) on the packaging. If you own fluorocarbon ski wax, stop using it and bring it to Recycle Utah to be disposed of properly. The next time you purchase ski wax, ensure that it’s fluoro-free and if you ever have any questions, you can always reach out to your local ski shops or Recycle Utah!

By Addison Marr

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