Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

#water conservation

Utah’s Water Crisis

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Utah is the second driest state in the U.S., with a rare closed water system where northern Utah’s water recycles through the Great Salt Lake (GSL) instead of flowing to the ocean. This water cycle, along with our unique basin geography, is what gives Utah “The Greatest Snow on Earth”.

Much of Utah’s water comes from mountain snowmelt. In Salt Lake City, about 45% of snowmelt runoff is diverted into the water system—80% of which goes to agriculture, and almost half used solely for growing alfalfa. Alfalfa, a crop fed to cows and other livestock, grows quickly and has high yields, but it also uses a lot of water. This water diversion is the major contributor to the GSL shrinking more with each passing year.

As the lake dries, toxic metals like arsenic and mercury from the lakebed become airborne, threatening the health of people up to 500 miles away. If trends continue, the GSL could dry up within a decade.

In the past, the state government has offered few incentives for farmers to switch to water-saving farming methods. However, in 2020, the Department of Agriculture introduced the Water Optimization Program, which has distributed $65 million in grants for farmers to implement water-saving measures. The program is in its early stages, and most scientists agree that immediate, more drastic measures must be taken to stop the shrinking of the GSL and reduce Utah’s drought risk. However, with public support and increased funding, the program could make a huge difference.

To learn how to save water at home, visit the Utah DNR Water Conservation Website. For info on GSL advocacy, go to GrowTheFlowUtah.org or SaveOurGreatSaltLake.org.

Data sourced from the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

By Mia Moore

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

Laundry Tips

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Unless you have the laundry fairy on speed dial, chances are you or someone in your household does up to 300 loads of laundry each year. Washing laundry requires about 6,000 gallons of water each year, and the dryer is the 2nd biggest user of energy in most houses behind the fridge. The United States’ annual residential laundry carbon emissions is equivalent to powering 21 million homes. So, what can we do to reduce the environmental impact of laundry, and maybe save some money while we are at it?

  1. Reduce the number of loads of laundry that is done by wearing clothes more than once and running full loads.
  2. Wash on cold. Heating the water in a washing machine takes up to 90% of a washing machine cycle’s energy. While washing on hot is still needed for germ filled loads, cold cycles are generally better for making clothes last longer and removing stains.
  3. If a washer or dryer needs to be replaced, be sure to choose an efficient energy star option. It could save you $370 in operating costs over your washer’s lifetime, and only uses 25 gallons per load, compared to 40 gallons for older machines.
  4. When it comes to drying, air dry if possible. Not only will you reap the savings from not using your energy hogging dryer, but you will also extend the life of your clothes.
  5. When using the dryer, make sure to properly clean the lint filter, and consider using dryer balls to reduce laundry drying time and energy use. Dryer balls also have the added benefit of softening laundry, making them an ideal replacement for single use and chemical laden dryer sheets.

By Montana Burack, Park City High School

How Does Your Garden Grow?

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Choosing plants that will thrive in your garden does not have to be difficult. Just look around in our meadows, forests, and sagebrush lands. What flowers and shrubs do you see? To name a few, there are lupins, flax, penstemon, clematis, phlox, Oregon grape, globemallow, flax, wood’s rose, chokecherry, golden currant, sunflowers and rabbit brush. Reach out to USU Extension Service Horticulturists, Swaner Preserve naturalists, and plant nursery garden specialists and they can provide you information about these and other “natives”. These are not the hybridized specimens you choose for their brilliant colors and large blooms. Planted in places that match their natural habitat, natives will thrive without fertilizer and pesticides, and with little additional water. Your native garden is an extension of the landscape surrounding it.

Utahns waste a lot of water. Ours is the second driest state and we are one of the highest per-capital populations of water consumers. Planting a native garden saves water. Use drip irrigation and water regularly to establish plants’ deep roots. Then drip water infrequently when their leaves are droopy or crisp. With less maintenance time required, there is more time to hike and bike!

Utah has over 1000 species of habitat-specific bee pollinators. They have incredibly specialized relationships with the plant species they pollinate and require for reproduction. We should plant these natives to maintain bee and plant populations.

Birds eat the seeds of native plants which provide them much needed habitat. A woman in Chicago planted a native garden on one-tenth of an acre of land that attracted 116 species of birds to her “little yard!”

 Enjoy a sustainable ecosystem of native plants in your garden!

By Bev Harrison

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