Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

#recycle utah

Composting

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Landfills are filling up and at least 40% of the waste is from our food and yard. This organic waste, along with paper and cardboard, releases a dangerous and potent greenhouse gas, methane. Great news, there are multiple options to compost in Summit County! Recycle Utah holds summer compost workshops to and sells discounted compost bins and buckets. Here’s how to get started today:

  1. Do it yourself: Purchase a bin or make your own (containing tight mesh wire). Select a level, 3”x3” area, partly sunny, at least 6” from a structure or fence. It’s important to learn the correct nitrogen to oxygen ratio in addition to acceptable compostable materials. Check Recycle Utah’s website for summer workshop dates to learn more.
  2. Worm Composter: The key to worm composting is the temperature needs to be 40 degrees or higher to keep the wiggly creatures alive. Attached garages, pantries, or mud rooms are ideal.
  3. Lomi: This is the latest craze. A 16” x 20” device for your kitchen or pantry that turns food waste into soil within two days!
  4. Spoil to Soil:This wonderful new and local compost business supplies a small and large bucket and collects the goodies weekly for a small fee.

Not only is composting becoming more important for our environment, but it’s also scientific and fun for the family. Summit County is working hard to keep food waste out of our landfill – get started today!

By Mary Closser

The Sustainability of Cooking

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Our daily lives consist of a lot of cooking, which can significantly impact the environment. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to saving the environment. These are some tips that can help you become eco-friendly when you are cooking:

Avoid single-use items: This includes disposable utensils, plates, and cups that end up in our landfills. If necessary, you can buy compostable and environmentally friendly substitutes or utilize reusable options.

Investing in an induction stove: These stoves are up to 10% more energy-efficient than electric stoves and three times more energy-efficient than standard gas stoves. Additionally, it is also better for your air quality. 

Disposing of cooking oil: Wait until your cooking oil has totally cooled before putting it in a metal can or plastic container instead of discarding it directly in the sink or the trash. You can then properly dispose of it in the trash after that. 

Reduce food waste: Meal planning for the week helps reduce the amount of food that is wasted unnecessarily. Furthermore, you can freeze or use your leftovers to create a new dish. 

Buy from local farmers: In addition to supporting local farmers, we can lessen our influence on the environment by supporting local farmers that grow their food without the use of pesticides and fertilizers. 

Together, we can reduce the environmental impact of our time spent in the kitchen!

By Miriam Flores

Carbon Footprint of Alcohol

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Our food, clothing, electronics, and even alcohol… there’s a carbon footprint for everything. Drinks of pleasure can weigh heavily on the environment. Whether it’s the associated transportation or water, packaging, or agriculture demands, there’s a carbon footprint for every processing stage.

1. Beer: Refrigeration and transportation account for most of the overall emissions. Buy local! Cans vs. bottles is better and cans are recycled more. Draft is best, and organic is preferred, assuring that no synthetic fertilizer was used. Research your beer – some companies do more than others in regard to energy, recycling, water and transportation efficiency, composting spent grains, capturing methane and more. Best yet, brew your own.

2. Wine: The majority of wine’s footprint comes from shipping. The key is to buy near – Utahns should buy from UT or CA, New Yorkers from Italy.  Room temperature is better (Red) in addition to organic/no sulfite options. Select natural cork, a renewable material, verses metal or plastic. And if water is a concern, go for bubbly wines made with early-harvested grapes. The box has a lower print than the bottle due to the weight from shipping and the bag, once rinsed, can be recycled at Recycle Utah.

3. Spirits: The greatest concern with most spirits is the distillation process utilizing energy and water, resulting in pulp and wastewater. Buy progressive brands, transparent about their production process. For example, do they turn by-product waste into compost, animal feed or irrigation water? Do they grow without pesticides & herbicides?

By Mary Closser

Water In, Water Out: Reclaiming Wastewater

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According to Mike Luers, general manager of the Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation
District (SBWRD) they treat 4,000,00 gallons of wastewater per day; 5,000,000 gallons
per day during peak season. In 2022 the two local wastewater reclamation plant
treated 1.44 billion gallons of used water!


Our water is sourced from wells, springs, creeks, mine tunnels and the Echo Reservoir.
It’s provided to us by various water companies. We never own it. SBWDB “reclaims” it—
treats it, then discharges it into local streams. It flows into reservoirs and eventually, into
the Great Salt Lake. It’s an efficient ecological system.


According to Mike, there are several “habits that can help our local environment.”

  • Never flush down the toilet: “flushable” wipes, dental floss, tampons, condoms, toothpaste caps or other personal care products. This stuff doesn’t break down and either gets wrapped around the plant’s powerful pumps, or needs to be screened out of huge pipes before the treatment process begins. Throw these items in the trash!
  • Don’t pour grease and cooking oil down the drain. In pipes, grease hardens and oils form a putty-like substance. These may block pipes in your home and even cause raw sewage to back up. They can clog up the wastewater plant’s pipes. Put used grease and oil in a container and throw it in the trash!
  • Even though urine contains most of the pharmaceuticals in wastewater, flushing them down the toilet adds more. Our district’s reclamation plants use advanced treatment methods but pharmaceuticals cannot be removed. Discharged into streams, they are absorbed by fish and can affect their development. Take unused medications to a drop-off box at the Sheriff or Police Office, the Redstone Clinic, or one of Recycle Utah’s Hazardous Waste Days.
  • Mike would love to give you or your group a tour of our reclamation facility. Call him at (435) 649 – 7993, or email him at mluers@sbwrd.org.

By Bev Harrison

All About Bees

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After a long period of hibernating throughout the winter, bees are slowly starting to emerge

as spring is now upon us. Spring is a crucial time for bees as colonies begin forming and

new colonies appear again. As we face the climate change crisis, we now see a decline in

pollinator species such as butterflies, flies, beetles, and, most importantly, our honey bees.

Research has shown that harmful pesticides such as carbaryl have been a factor in the

decline of bees. However, the most significant impact of the decline is climate change

caused by global warming.

Estimates have shown that around 75% of the crops we grow for food depend on pollinators

to a certain extent. They play a prominent role in producing our food supply, so their

protection needs to be a priority.

Listed below are ways you can help our bees this season:

  • Using natural or organic pest control solutions is a great way to stop using pesticides. Neem oil is an excellent option, or you can make a DIY insecticidal soap.
  • Don’t get rid of your dandelions, at least until they bloom. Dandelions are a food source for bees that provide pollen and nectar.
  • Planting native flowers that thrive in your region attracts bees to your garden. Creating a bee garden will attract not only bees but other pollinators as well.
  • Purchasing organic honey items from your local beekeepers. Local beekeepers ensure bees are well cared for and support bee population growth.

We can work together to help save the bees!

By Miriam Flores

Small Appliances

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Your coffee machine or humidifier breaks, what should you do? Can it be recycled? Sadly, most small appliances contain an array of mixed materials, primarily hard plastic. Mixed materials cannot be recycled and often end up in our landfills. Such small appliances include hairdryers, dust busters, flashlights and more. The rule of thumb for recycling at Recycle Utah is your product needs to be at least 70% metal for it to qualify for a drop into the metal recycling bin.

What is there to do about all these plastic-infested appliances? First, prioritize quality. Pay more for products that will last longer. Second, inquire about the manufacturer having a ‘take back’ program once the product reaches its end. More businesses should be doing this, some have already started with this circular-economy concept. Third, try to purchase products with the 70% metal rule, or ones that can be taken apart to recycle the materials separately.

Examples of products containing mostly metal that can go into the Recycle Utah metal bin are toaster ovens, microwaves, stereos, and lawnmowers. Electronics can also be recycled, though larger items (computers, TVs, and printers) require a small fee. Working vacuum cleaners and other appliances (in addition to housewares, books, tools, and much more) can be resold in our Warehouse Thrift Store!

By Mary Closser