Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

#zero waste

Food Expiration

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What do food expiration dates really mean? ‘Food product dating,’ according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is voluntary for most products and has nothing to do with safety. It is the manufacturers best guess as to when the product passes the point of peak quality. Produce is easy – we see it and smell it. But what about the other products that hang out in our refrigerators and cabinets?

  1. Baking materials: Vinegars, syrups, honey, vanilla, sugar and salt can last forever without degrading quality. Steel cut or rolled oats can last for a year, instant oats forever. Oils stored in sealed cans are invincible while glass is less sustainable.
  2. Bread, Flour and Rice: Supermarket bread with oils and preservatives can last for weeks in the fridge. White flour and refined white rice can last up to a year or more whereas Whole Wheat, gluten-free flours and brown rice will start degrading after several months. Smell it and always store airtight.
  3. Spices and Nuts: Spices have longevity but lose potency and flavor. Nuts, though, can go rancid within months unless stored in the freezer.
  4. Canned goods and beans: Note that metal lasts longer than glass, which trumps plastic. This includes canned sodas, too. Dried beans and lentils are safe for years.
  5. Eggs and Milk: Eggs can last several weeks after purchasing them. Look for “UHT” or ultra-high temperature on your milk label for longer-lasting milk.

Our landfills contain heaps of food waste. Be smart when you shop – purchase smaller quantities for certain foods, freeze some items and remember that expiration dates are not always true. Your nose is the best test.

By Mary Closser

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

Soft Plastics

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In 1960, the average American generated about 1,000 pounds of trash per year.  Today, we create about 1,800 pounds each.  Sixty years ago, no one was dumb enough to pay for a plastic bottle of water.  If you went out for a cup of coffee, it was served in a ceramic mug that would be used 1,000’s of times.  The apples, lettuce and grapes at the grocery store were in a bin, not in plastic bags or rigid plastic containers.

If you are serious about reducing your impact on the planet, you must look at the amount of trash you produce.  Start out by doing a little audit and examine what is in your weekly trash.  Separate your trash into piles.  What could be recycled?  What could be composted?  There are certain things you can’t put in your curbside recycling.  But Recycle Utah will take a wide range of items like glass, Styrofoam, soft plastics, batteries, corks, metal lids, printer cartridges.

After doing my trash audit, I realized soft plastics, by volume, were my biggest source of waste.  I was surprised how much of our groceries came pre-packed in plastic bags. There were wrappers from bread, frozen vegetables, baby carrots, shredded cheese, walnuts, grapes, apples, box liners from cereal, crackers, frozen waffles and from the Mother’s Day flowers.   Then there were bigger plastic bags from dog food, lawn fertilizers and water softener salt, all of which can be put in the soft plastics bin at Recycle Utah.

Even though we are recycling soft plastics, it would be better if we could reduce the amount brought home from the store.  Next week our goal is to only purchase fruits and vegetables that are unpackaged.

Please join us, together we will make a healthier planet.

By Peter Murray, Stardust Sustainables

Functional Turfgrass and Water-wise Landscaping

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Turfgrass is not always the “bad guy”—thirsty, hungry, and costly. It is a favorite place where we play and generally hang out. And functional turfgrass is an important part of a water-wise landscape.

Kelly Kopp, Professor, Extension Water Conservation and Turfgrass Specialist at Utah State University, emphasizes several environmental benefits of functional turfgrass. Its dense root system absorbs water and almost eliminates runoff. Less runoff helps protect water quality. An area of turfgrass moderates wind erosion of soil, traps pollen and dust, and reduces environmental noise. It moderates temperature levels and reduces energy used for home cooling.

How do you make your turfgrass functional?

  • Only use it in areas where it provides clear benefits.
  • Water your turf grass less. USU Extension estimates that the typical homeowner uses twice as much water as their turfgrass requires.
  • Choose a grass mix that is best suited to your area. Professor Kopp notes 3 distinct grass type zones in Utah.
  • For non-functional areas, consider using non-irrigated turfgrass that withstands drought stress—it will go dormant, turn brown and green up again when conditions improve.
  • Don’t plant turf grass in narrow areas where it cannot be efficiently watered.
  • Irrigate turf grass in areas separate from other plants which have different water needs and can be irrigated differently, e.g., by drip line.
  • Support water efficient grass through proper mowing and fertilizing.
  • Contact Elizabeth Cohen at elizabeth.cohen@usu.edu from the Summit County Extension Department for excellent information about all things landscaping.

By Bev Harrison

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