Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

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Paper Towels – Do we need them?

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Throughout the day, I catch myself constantly ripping paper towels off the holder in my kitchen. It wasn’t until recently that I realized why my roommates and I were buying them so often—we were using them when we didn’t need to.

Paper towels can be convenient to clean up spills and messes, but do you really need them to dry your hands? Probably not. If your hands are clean, it makes more sense to dry them off with a hand towel or rag. Adding a hand towel rotation into your kitchen isn’t only more sustainable for the planet, it also makes your life easier. Another alternative or substitute to paper towels are flour sack towels. These are a cheap option that will last you forever. All you need to do is wash them, and they are good to go again. I recommend keeping 2 flour sack towels in rotation in the kitchen; one for hand and dish drying, and one for cleaning up spills and messes. 

Still skeptical? Here are some reasons why a hand towel in the kitchen will benefit your life and our planet: 

  • Fewer trips to the store for paper towels
  • Cheaper
  • Your kitchen trash won’t fill up as fast
  • Less emissions connected to paper towel manufacturing
  • Less extraction of natural resources
  • Reduces landfill waste

Using only paper towels may seem like the more convenient option, but it’s not; it only seems more convenient because you rip it off and throw it away immediately without having to wash anything. Imagine only using plastic forks, knives, and spoons instead of using real silverware. While this is a more extreme example of using single-use materials, it’s not so different from using only single-use paper towels. Both are more expensive than their reusable counterparts and produce unnecessary non-recyclable waste. When you start to consider the impact these products have on the environment, it’s clear that switching to reusable towels and rags in the kitchen is the environmentally – and economically – friendlier option.

By Sean McCarthy

Reduce Your Food Waste

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Did you know it takes 25 years for a single head of lettuce to decompose in a landfill? While that same lettuce would break down in just 2-3 weeks in a backyard compost bin, landfills compact waste so tightly that oxygen cannot reach it, preventing the microbes needed for breakdown from doing their job. As food waste rots in the landfill, it decomposes and emits methane gas, a greenhouse gas roughly 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In Utah alone, approximately 600,000 tons of food goes to waste every single year, emitting harmful greenhouse gases, but also wasting the land, water, labor, and resources it takes to produce food. Reducing food waste is one of the most impactful ways you can take climate action today.

Check what you already have in your pantry, fridge, and freezer before heading to the store. Decide on your meals for the week based on what you already own. Then stick to the list you make! WasteLess has a Meal Planning Template to help you organize your kitchen and your shopping list. 

The average family of four wastes $1,500 worth of food every year, which is the equivalent of throwing away $125 every month. WasteLess offers a self-paced online course for individuals and businesses to master strategies for a waste-free home. Individuals can learn creative cooking, food preservation, proper food storage, composting, and more! Your investment in this course will empower you with the tools, habits, and knowledge to prevent that loss. With ongoing education and simple, practical strategies, most households can save $1,500 or more each year simply by learning how to store, cook, plan, and use food more efficiently. When you complete this course, you will receive a certificate of completion and lifetime access. Your payment is a tax-deductible donation that supports WasteLess’ programs to divert food from reaching the landfill, instead getting it to individuals facing food insecurity. 

By Laila Hakkarinen, Community Engagement Manager at WasteLess Solutions

Energy Efficiency

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I remember years ago wanting to replace windows in my home, and the sustainably-minded builder laughed. He told me that replacing windows only in my inefficient home would be like placing windows in an open field. 

Maximizing energy efficiency in our homes can be expensive, but not always. And how do we know which actions should be prioritized over others? Fortunately, we have free and low-cost assessment services available in our community, unknown to many. Rocky Mountain Power’s Wattsmart program is free, and Enbridge Gas has a similar assessment for $25, refundable if rebate actions are pursued.

The auditors (local contractors approved by the energy companies) check crawl spaces and attics, appliances, thermostats, vents, windows, and more. The 30-60 minute audit will often suggest upgrading to smart thermostats, plugs, sensors, and heat tape controls, updating appliances to Energy Star and/or electric, installing heat-pumps, sealing ducts, and maximizing insulation in various ways. The best part is the numerous rebates available through both energy companies–all which the auditors will explain in detail. 

Other low-cost efficient measures to be aware of are nixing the dryer for drying racks (especially in our dry climate), reducing the water temperature on your water heater (at least when on extended vacations), purchasing high R-value window coverings, using only LED lightbulbs, lowering indoor temperatures (or raising in the summer), change filters regularly, and maintaining your furnace.  

Learn more about efficiency rebates in Utah at the Utah Clean Energy website: https://hub.utahcleanenergy.org/energy-efficiency/energy-efficiency-incentives/. Also contact Wattsmarthomes.com and/or thermwise.com for a free or low-cost assessment today!

By Mary Closser

What does decreased snowpack mean for Park City?

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As many Park City residents are aware, the level of snowfall so far in 2026 is bleak. What is going on with the weather in Utah, and how will it affect our economy and environment? My hope is to try to answer some of these questions. 

As of this January, Utah has received only around 63% of its average precipitation. Utah is currently in a ‘high-pressure system,’ which is characterized by warmer-than-usual temperatures and dryness, as well as winter inversions trapping cold air into Utah’s valleys. This has a lot to do with the polar jet stream, which is currently positioned north. If it were to move south, as it is predicted to in late February/March, Park City is forecast to get more snowfall. 

So what does the current snow drought mean for Park City? So far, ski industries in Park City have lost $1.32 billion, and the state of Utah has lost $2.51 billion dollars in revenue. The decrease in ski tourism will negatively impact the local economy in numerous ways. Roughly 75%-85% of local tax dollars come from tourism. Looking past the 2026 season, Utah’s environment is under direct threat from climate change. The evaporation of the Great Salt Lake not only means the impending danger of a toxic dust bowl in the Salt Lake Valley, but also the reduction of precipitation that comes from the ‘lake effect.’ Additionally, rising global temperatures will strengthen high-pressure systems and worsen inversion in Utah valleys. 

While the outlook is quite negative for Utah, we can all do our part to fix this narrative by pressuring state and local leaders to implement sustainable policies and by exercising sustainable daily habits in our own lives. 

By Grayson Rae

Where does my curbside recycling go?

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Recycle Utah recently toured the WM Salt Lake Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), where we learned about updated rules for curbside recycling. WM’s MRF and transfer station in West Valley City accepts both curbside and commercial recycling for sorting and distribution, including Summit County’s curbside recycling.

The 50,000 square foot MRF and transfer station has been in operation since 2020 and is full of state-of-the-art recycling technology. Through the use of optical and AI sorters, WM can process around 450 tons of material every day, equivalent to the weight of about 50 orcas. 

Material travels through many steps as it moves through the facility. First, trucks drop all the recycling on the tipping floor to be dumped onto the conveyor belt system. Next, employees pull large non-recyclables or hazardous materials off the conveyor belt to avoid damage to the system. Employees primarily remove bagged material and large contaminants that could get twisted in the conveyor belts.

 The material passes over 3.5 miles of conveyor belts and sorting equipment. Aluminum cans are pulled off the conveyor by an ‘eddy current’, which works as a sort of reverse magnet. Steel cans and ferrous metal are pulled off the conveyor with a magnet. Paper, plastic, and cardboard are sorted using AI optical sorters. These machines use optical cameras to sense density and material on the conveyor. They can “see” whatever density they are programmed to look for, and use air jets to shoot the material off the main belt and into a separate line. Optical sorters are programmed to pick about 600 different materials per minute, meaning they identify and sort around 10 items a second. After each material is sorted into its unique bay, it is baled and stored until it is ready to be shipped to recyclers around the country.  

The efficiency and scale of the recycling process at WM is incredible. Tours are available for the general public, as well as offered through Recycle Utah’s adult education program. For more information on the recycling process, please visit https://www.wm.com/us/en/recycle-right/recycling-101. Also, check out Recycle Utah’s YouTube channel for a more in-depth look at the MRF, where you can find a video tour and answers to some recycling FAQ’s! 

By Mia Moore

Green Drinks Recap: How Green Finance Can Be One of the Most Powerful Climate Actions We Take

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On Tuesday, January 13th, community members gathered at Park City Gardens for a Green Drinks conversation focused on green finance—and why the financial system may be one of the most important (and overlooked) levers we have to address climate change.

If you weren’t able to join us, here’s a recap of what we explored, why it matters, and how you can take action.

Climate Change Is a Finance Problem

We often talk about climate change as a science problem, a technology problem, or an individual behavior problem. But at its core, climate change is also a finance problem.

Money is the invisible engine shaping our world—from the energy we use, to the homes we live in, to the transportation systems we rely on. Every day, billions of dollars move through the financial system, determining what gets built, which industries grow, and which communities thrive.

Banks don’t just store money. They deploy it.

Customer deposits are used to fund loans for infrastructure, companies, and development projects. When banks choose to finance fossil fuel extraction, pipelines, and expansion, they lock in decades of future emissions. When they finance clean energy, efficiency, and resilient communities, they help accelerate climate solutions.

Your Bank and Investments Are Part of Your Carbon Footprint

One of the biggest takeaways from the evening surprised many attendees:

Your choice of bank and investment portfolio may be the single largest part of your personal climate footprint.

We often focus on actions like recycling, thrifting, or switching to LED bulbs—and those things absolutely matter. But when researchers crunched the numbers, financial decisions rose to the very top of the list.

Here’s why:

In other words, where your money sleeps at night matters.

What We Learned About High-Impact Climate Actions

At Green Drinks, we reviewed research that ranks individual climate actions by their potential emissions reductions. While everyday sustainability habits are still important, the data shows that financial choices often outperform lifestyle swaps.

Some of the most impactful actions discussed included:

The encouraging news?
Several of the highest-impact actions don’t require major lifestyle changes—just a shift in how and where your money is invested.

Green Banks and the Role of Financial Institutions

A key part of the conversation focused on Green Banks and other mission-driven financial institutions.

Green Banks are specialized institutions designed to:

  • De-risk and accelerate clean energy projects
  • Support energy efficiency, electrification, and renewable infrastructure
  • Channel private capital toward climate solutions, especially at the local level

Rather than financing fossil fuel expansion, these institutions help unlock capital for the sustainable future we need—often in ways that also improve affordability, resilience, and equity.

Insights from Our Speakers

Bethany Kanten

Bethany brought a global and local perspective to the conversation, drawing on her experience designing clean energy finance solutions and inclusive capital strategies. She highlighted how thoughtful financial design can expand access to clean energy, lower costs for households, and ensure climate solutions reach underserved communities—not just those with the most capital.

Michael A. Ruzek

Michael shared how individuals and families participate in the financial system every day through banking, investing, and retirement planning. He emphasized that aligning financial goals with values doesn’t mean sacrificing performance—and that asking better questions about where money is invested is a critical first step toward meaningful climate impact.

Resources Shared at Green Drinks

If you’re interested in taking the next step, here are a few resources we discussed:

These resources can help you better understand where your money is going—and how to align it with the future you want to see.

Moving Forward

Climate change can feel overwhelming, but the message from Green Drinks was ultimately a hopeful one:

  • Shifting financial flows is powerful.
  • Individual choices add up—especially when we act together.
  • You don’t have to do everything to do something meaningful.

Whether you start by learning where your bank invests, asking questions about your retirement account, or exploring climate-aligned financial institutions, every step helps move capital toward solutions instead of harm.