Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

recycle

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

Enjoying Coffee Sustainably

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Context behind the Caffeine: Coffee began as a colonial system with a clear demarcation between producing countries and consuming countries. This unique plant disseminated from Africa can only grow in limited geographic regions, all of which are already experiencing the detrimental effects of climate change. Even as a scientific understanding of coffee has increased, the information disparity inherited from an exploitative past continues to impair the ability of the current generation of coffee farmers to operate genetically robust plantations while making a living that was never really afforded to them to begin with. Without change to this system it is estimated that only fifty percent of all land currently bearing coffee will remain arable for future use. What can you do? Stay educated and start small, here’s what to do with coffee packaging.

Bags: Industry standards for coffee bags entail an inner lining to keep coffee fresh and sometimes include the addition of a one-way valve and/or zipper. This amalgam of materials fused so inseparably is problematic when it comes to recycling. The plastic valve can often be removed and recycled as a small plastic, however, the bags themselves can only be processed by certain locations and thus have limited collection facilities. For Utah residents, Subaru sponsors collection facilities at the Nate Wade and Mark Miller dealerships. These are turned over to TerraCycle, a company dedicated to recycling tricky materials such as coffee packaging. There is a new type of coffee bag largely popularized by Biotre, with a paper/pulp exterior and plant based plastic interior. These can be recycled as a standard soft plastic in most cases.

Cans/Tins: Steel and aluminum cans/tins are completely recyclable in their respective metal recycling available to you.

Pods: Keurig K cups can be recycled with #5 plastic so long as the aluminum foil is removed. Nespresso pods have a lining in the aluminum and require proprietary recycling, drop off locations are found on their website. In short, go with a reusable option.

Alternatives: Bring your own container to the grocery store and use the dispensers they have there. Form a relationship with a local roaster and utilize their pick up in store feature but request to bring your own packaging.

Above all else, take a few minutes to dedicate to researching coffee’s origins, the people behind it, and the potential limits to the ethical and environmental sustainability of its continued production and consumption.