Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

Water

Eco-Friendly Dishwashing by Machine and by Hand

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Is it necessary to rinse off dirty dishes before putting them in the dishwasher to assure they are clean and bacteria-free? Resoundingly, experts say, it is not. The practice wastes water and energy; it adds dollars to our utility bills.

Many of us who continue to lightly rinse gunky dishes first may be living in the past. In the past, it was recommended to rinse excess food off dishes before loading them. I don’t think using a little more water and electricity was forefront in people’s minds.

Today energy-efficient machines use a mere four to six gallons of water to clean a load of dishes. Obviously, if we’re trying to live sustainably— to not waste ever-more limited natural resources—we need to “fill ‘er up.” What things make sense to run full loads with best results?

  • Reportedly, dishwashing detergent works best when it has some food particles to stick to. Without them, soap runs off dishes and ends up down the drain. Also, today’s machines are made to work hard—to power through soiled gunky dishes. We shouldn’t let them get lazy and work with less power than they have built in.
  • Getting a full load doesn’t always happen daily or even every other day. If necessary, soiled dishes can sit in the dishwasher for a few days—one source stated for a week—and come out sparkling. Here’s where a quick light rinse makes sense. Small households, rest assured. Your dishes can be cleaned after extended “sit” time.
  • To all dishwasher users, you are responsible for cleaning the drain filter regularly.

Hand-washing dishes? Try this eco-friendly method: Add a bit of dishwashing detergent to a clean sink. In a container, capture the water that runs while it gets hot and use it later to rinse dishes and water plants. Add a half an index finger of water and use it to clean a meal-full of dishes rinsing no more than 3 seconds per dish. When you’re done, measure the water in the sink. How much higher on your finger does it rise? With practice, I can see I am using less water. Maybe it’s that two second rinse!

By Bev Harrison

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

The Better Choice: Garbage Disposal or Trashcan? NEITHER!

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Are you making the best choice with your family’s food waste? Food scraps we grind up in the garbage disposal, an appliance generally prohibited in Europe, travel through 300 miles of aging sewer pipes to a water reclamation district plant. There, the food waste may or may not pass through huge entry filters. If it makes it, it continues flowing with the rest of the organic solids in our wastewater for further treatment. In the process, byproduct biogas—60% methane, and carbon dioxide—is emitted. The organic solids that don’t pass through the filters, become a gritty sludge that is trucked to—yes, the Three Mile Canyon Landfill. There it decomposes anaerobically along with the food waste we throw in the trashcan creating—yes, methane gas. The Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District plants and Summit County’s landfill are relatively very small and neither has a methane cap system. In 2020, SBWRD captured and trucked 300 tons of sludge to the landfill. Last year we dumped 1400 tons of food waste there—30% of the landfill’s total solid waste.

Our best choice? To divert food waste from the landfill and reduce methane pollution, we must compost it and turn it naturally into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. We have four composting choices: backyard composting (bins available to purchase at Recycle Utah), electric indoor composting, worm composting, and membership in Spoil to Soil’s curbside composting service. Spoil to Soil’s rapidly growing 44-acre off-grid farm in Brown’s Canyon accepts ALL food waste! In addition to plant-based food, houseplants, and yard waste, they now accept meat, bone, grains, dairy, grease, soiled paper towels, uncoated paper products, and cardboard! Contact them at www.spoiltosoil.org to learn more.

Parents tell their children to “clean your plate.” The expression came into existence in World War I when the U.S. government worried about wartime food shortages. It was revived during World War II when Harry Truman urged Americans to curb their food waste to send food supplies to starving post-war Europeans. Elementary schools promptly formed Clean Your Plate Clubs! So, figure out how composting can work for your family and “clean your plate.” Don’t run the disposal. Don’t throw food waste in the trashcan—and enjoy making a lot fewer trips dragging your trash barrel to the curb.

By Bev Harrison

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

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

Sewer Water Contaminants

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Recycle Utah offers seasonal tours for our visual learners with the most recent one in October at Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District (SBWRD). How eye opening! All water flushed and drained from the shower, laundry, and sink in Summit County flows underground through sewers to one of their two county facilities. The wastewater is cleaned via microbes, ultraviolet lights and more before it’s returned to local streams.

Their most challenging contaminant? Produce stickers. Close seconds are ‘flushable’ wipes, dental floss, grease and cooking oils, hair, menstrual products, cotton balls, gum, and kitty litter. Oil disagrees with water, and the other products are non-biodegradable. Additionally, while paper towels and facial tissues may appear to decompose in water, they do not like toilet paper. Food can clog drains (compost instead?) and swell in large quantities (cereals or grains) and medications do not decompose– take any leftover medication to a police department or pharmacy. What goes down our drains should ONLY come from toilet residue, bathing residue and small particles of food from rinsing. SBWRD hauls at least one dump truck of trash and sludge from their plant each day, not considering the numerous materials getting stuck in their filtration machines.

Let’s be better water stewards. Let’s help the dedicated SBWRD employees who clean our water. After all, as Luna Leopold put it, “Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children’s lifetime. The health our water is the principal measure of how we live on the land.” Please subscribe to Recycle Utah’s newsletter (fill in the box in the bottom left of this page) so you can stay abreast of our local tours!

By Mary Closser