Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

Sustainable Materials

Decluttering with Purpose: A Post-Christmas Clean-out Guide

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As the holiday season fades into fond memories, the arrival of new gifts often brings with it a bit of post-holiday clutter. Now, as we start a new year, let’s use the spirit of fresh beginnings to make a positive impact through a purposeful post-Christmas clean-out.

When it comes to decluttering, Recycle Utah is your all-in-one destination. Whether you’re dealing with household goods, furniture, or old electronics, this organization specializes in recycling and repurposing. Bring in your holiday boxes and packaging materials for recycling, ensuring a cleaner environment. Don’t forget to drop off old electronics, ensuring that hazardous materials are disposed of responsibly while valuable components get a second life. By choosing Recycle Utah, you not only free your space from unwanted items but also contribute to a circular economy, reducing the burden on landfills.

If your closet is bursting with the aftermath of holiday shopping, consider decluttering with purpose. The Christian Center welcomes clothing donations, particularly winter wear. Your gently used clothing can make a significant impact on the lives of those in need, providing warmth and comfort during the colder months. If you find yourself retiring old skis or snowboards, Recycle Utah is the perfect place to ensure they are recycled responsibly.

As children grow and interests change, toys and clothes tend to accumulate. Rather than letting these items gather dust, consider donating gently used items to Kid-to-Kid. This organization offers a unique opportunity for your family to trade used toys and clothes for cash or store credit, keeping smiles on new faces and gently used items out of landfills.

As we carefully pack away the holiday decorations, let’s use this post-Christmas period for a purposeful and responsible clean-out. By donating used items to Recycle Utah, clothes to the Christian Center, and toys to Kid-to-Kid, you extend the joy of the season to those in need and contribute to a healthier environment. Let’s usher in the new year with a fresh, organized living space and a positive impact on the world around us. Happy cleaning!

By Chelsea Hafer

Making Alternative Milk

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Every holiday I buy myself a gift, practical or for pleasure. This year I got to thinking about the numerous cartons of alternative milks I purchase for my family, not to mention the cost and how much waste I could reduce if I made my own. Alternative milks are rising in popularity due to health, animal welfare and our environment, but do we get the necessary nutrients from plant-based milks? Are they affordable?

One option is to purchase a machine: a nut-milk maker. The initial cost can be high (approximately $100 to $300), but the product is fresh and can be customized. Another option is to make your own by soaking soy, oats, or almonds followed by draining, blending, and straining. It may be time-consuming, but it’s worth the wait to know the source of the products. 

If you’re thinking about making the switch to dairy-free, it’s essential to evaluate your overall diet if you decide to limit or avoid dairy to make sure you’re supplementing nutrients from other foods. Dairy-free milk can be protein-rich and fortified with calcium, D, B2, B12, or more with a bit of research. Whatever the desire – rice, soy, quinoa, oat, almond, coconut, cashew, flaxseed, or pea – it’s worth a try to nix the grocery purchases, except for the bulk nuts or grains. Access to composting is important too as residue will result.

That being said, dairy contains important nutrients for bone and muscle health. If making the switch to dairy-free is not something you’re interested in now, we are lucky to have a lot of local dairy farmers in Utah that do container refills and home delivery. You can still reduce your carbon footprint from milk and continue to consume dairy by supporting local agriculture! Maybe it’s time to start mixing up habitual routines in consideration of our planet as local agriculture and milk alternatives are improving every day.

By Mary Closser

Unwrapping a Greener Holiday: Sustainable Tips for a Merry Christmas

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Watching the snow build on the mountains has many of us getting excited for ski season, as well as the holidays! However, it’s crucial to be mindful of the environmental impact that often accompanies the festivities. Household waste surges by 25% in the four weeks leading up to Christmas, contributing to a staggering 100 million tons of extra trash in landfills each week. This year let’s collectively celebrate an eco-friendlier holiday season.

Consider your Christmas tree source! An artificial tree produces less waste, but it takes about 10 Christmases for the carbon footprint of your fake tree to be lower than real trees due to the chemicals used in their manufacturing. If you’re buying a fresh tree, plan to compost it after the holidays. Trees can be dropped at the base of PC Hill through the end of January or in various locations around Summit County.

Minimize holiday waste by choosing recycled and recyclable Christmas cards or opting for e-cards to reduce paper waste. Get creative with sustainable wrapping alternatives like brown craft paper, old maps, scarves, or reusable cloth bags. Dispose of old electronic devices responsibly by bringing them to Recycle Utah. When making room for this year’s gifts, donate used items to the Christian Center or Recycle Utah to keep them out of the landfill.

When gifting, consider zero waste options like concert tickets, museum visits, or gift cards. Craft handmade gifts to add a personal touch and reduce reliance on mass-produced items. Prioritize fair trade products made with recycled or renewable materials, supporting ethical business practices. Shop locally to support community businesses, and if shopping online, choose retailers specializing in sustainable and handcrafted items to reduce the carbon footprint.

This holiday season let’s give our community the gift of sustainability and make choices that positively impact our environment. By adopting these tips, we can celebrate a joyous and eco-friendly Christmas, creating traditions that prioritize both the well-being of our planet and the happiness of our loved ones. Celebrate the season responsibly and leave a legacy of sustainable practices for future generations.

By Chelsea Hafer

Savor the Flavor, Not the Waste: Reducing Food Waste This Thanksgiving

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As Thanksgiving approaches, we look forward to delicious meals with loved ones. Yet, this season also witnesses a sharp 25% increase in household waste, with food waste being a major contributor. This waste surge is especially concerning because food decomposition releases potent greenhouse gases, including methane. The good news is that we all have the power to change this trend. Let’s make this Thanksgiving more sustainable and reduce our environmental impact by curbing food waste.

When preparing your Thanksgiving feast, thoughtfully plan your menu, avoiding excessive dishes that lead to leftovers. Before heading to the grocery store, do a thorough inventory check of your pantry and refrigerator to identify ingredients you already have, reducing the need for additional purchases. Opt for recipes that efficiently utilize similar ingredients, making the most of what’s available.

Embrace sustainable shopping practices to lessen your Thanksgiving environmental footprint. Purchase locally and organically when possible, supporting your local community while reducing the carbon footprint of your meal. Don’t forget to bring reusable produce bags! Opt for homemade dishes whenever you can; they tend to be more environmentally friendly, generating less packaging waste and fewer emissions from production and transportation. 

After the meal, focus on eco-friendly food storage solutions that keep leftovers fresh while reducing waste. Say no to disposable plastic containers and explore reusable, sustainable alternatives. Finally, make recycling and composting bins easily accessible for your guests to encourage proper waste disposal. By sorting recyclables and compostables from regular trash, you can significantly reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills, making a big impact this holiday season!

By Chelsea Hafer

Hang on to Your Fleece!

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Tis the season for wearing and covering up with (polyester) fleece— pullovers, jackets, vests, coats, hats, blankets. It’s warm, soft and plush, lightweight, durable, water resistant, and fast drying. When it’s cold, we love our fleece! Unfortunately, fleece is a bad guy when it comes to microplastic water pollution. Every time it’s tumbled and tossed in the washing machine, its soft plastic microfibers sluff off into particles no bigger than 3/16 of an inch—too small to be trapped by machine filters and downstream, through the water reclamation process. It’s resting spot? Rivers, lakes and oceans where the microplastic particles are easily ingested by aquatic organisms. All fabrics shed microfibers in the washing machine, but plastic polyesters shed non-biodegradable ones, and when it comes to the numbers, fleece is the champion. It sheds about 100 times more than the same amount of other polyester fabric. And it’s because polyester is the dominant fiber now, that all this microplastic water pollution is the huge and dangerous problem it is.

Are consumers, especially we Americans, washing our fleece when it isn’t dirty? Do we over-wash because it’s easy and we think “it” must be dirty? Here are some earth-friendly fleece care tips. Fleece is made to be durable; hang on to the fleece you have! Take care of each item. Before washing, consider: Does it smell? Fabric that doesn’t hug your skin, doesn’t collect odor like fabrics that do. Hang fleece items loosely so air circulates through and around the fibers. Brush off surface dirt and smudges. If there’s a stain, try spot cleaning it. The less you launder your fleece, the longer its fibers will stay intact. Donate, consign and buy secondhand fleece items. Also, remember by caring for and keeping fleece in use, we are keeping plastic waste out of the landfill.

By Bev Harrison

What To Do with Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns

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With Halloween coming around the corner, you’re probably getting excited about decorating, making plans with friends, and stocking up on candy… I know I am!  However, as we go into another holiday of mass consumerism, it’s crucial to consider how we can make our actions more sustainable. 

One of the most favored Halloween activities is pumpkin carving. Pumpkin carving is fun and overall, not harmful to the environment. However, when pumpkins are simply disposed of in the garbage, they wind up in a landfill, where, like other organic waste, release harmful methane gas into the atmosphere; methane captures 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide, contributing heavily to global warming.

Composting offers a solution! Composting pumpkins allows for beneficial reuse of organic material being recycled back to the earth, without releasing harmful gases. In Park City, we have great resources for compost disposal, including dropping off your pumpkins at Recycle Utah after Halloween to be composted at Spoil to Soil.

Out of the millions of pumpkins purchased in the U.S. every October, how many will end up in landfills? Composting your pumpkins helps significantly with this problem, and here in Park City, it’s easy and accessible. Additionally, pumpkins are in fact edible! Try saving more of your pumpkin by harvesting the seeds, making pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie, and so much more.

By Grayson Rae, Sophomore at Park City High School