Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

#zerowaste

How to Compost at Home

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With the snow melting, now is a great time to start thinking about starting your own backyard compost pile! While composting can seem daunting, it is actually a straightforward process that can help save landfill space, keep harmful methane emissions out of our climate, and help your soil by providing essential nutrients. Composting, at its essence, is the process of combining carbon-based materials with nitrogen-based materials, along with water and oxygen, to support microbial decomposition. This breakdown produces a nutrient-rich compost that strengthens soil and supports thriving gardens. The beauty of composting lies in its ability to provide natural recycling, converting kitchen scraps and yard waste into valuable resources for sustainable gardening.

To start composting, you’ll need a few supplies: a containment structure (such as wire fencing or pallets), a mix of carbon and nitrogen materials, water for moisture regulation, a compost thermometer for temperature monitoring, and basic tools like a shovel and pitchfork. With these tools, you’ll be ready to create a compost pile in your backyard, contributing to healthier soil and more abundant harvests. Your structure should be about 3 feet in diameter and height. Start by layering a brown carbon-rich layer – things like yard waste, newspaper, and grass clippings. Then you can start layering in green layers, nitrogen-rich materials like food waste. Avoid putting citrus, dairy, onions and garlic, meat, oil, and animal waste in your compost. You’ll want to maintain a ratio of about 2 parts brown material to one part green material. You can also add in a layer of existing compost when starting your pile to kickstart the microbial decomposition.

To maintain your compost pile, you’ll just need to make sure the compost has enough oxygen and moisture. Two to four days after starting your compost, it should reach the ideal temperature of 100-140 degrees Fahrenheit – you can check the temperature with a thermometer. You should turn your compost pile with a rake after a few days. The more often you turn your compost pile, the faster it will break down. Try to maintain that ideal temperature and moisture. You can squeeze a handful of compost to check the moisture content. It shouldn’t be soggy, but if it’s too dry, you can add a bit of water. Your pile can break down in as soon as 18 days if you maintain it regularly by turning it. Once you have a rich, dark brown, fully processed compost material, you can add it to your garden!

If you’re interested in learning more about composting and going zero waste, Recycle Utah and Summit Community Gardens/EATS are hosting a Zero Waste and Composting workshop on May 30 at 5:30 pm at Summit Community Gardens. The event is free and will cover how to compost, recycling education, and zero waste tips.

By Chelsea Hafer

Green Start Your Vacation

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Are you vacation planning? Wherever you go, don’t forget to bring along the great eco-friendly behaviors you’ve incorporated into your daily life—those that reduce your waste and use of natural resources and protect the environment. These practices are just as important to the people and places you visit as they are in your home community.

When choosing your vacation destination, how far are you going? Driving there by car – especially a hybrid or EV – emits far less carbon than a jet, and cruise ships can emit 3-4 times more carbon than jets. If you fly, try to book direct flights, since 50% of jet emissions happen during takeoff and landing. Think about traveling by train. This is the most ecologically-friendly way to travel, with 50-75% lower per-person carbon emissions than driving or flying as reported by Amtrak and Eurail.

So what are your sustainable vacation destination options?

  • Nothing has lower carbon emissions than a staycation. When it comes to staying home, Summit and Wasatch counties are quite fine vacation options. Instead of waiting for guests to see local “destination-caliber” sites, visit them on less busy, less expensive weekdays on your staycation. Check out https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/states/utah/ and subscribe to their excellent free newsletter. You will have more choices than days of vacation.
  • Research locations that publicize their efforts to provide a greener, cleaner environment and quality of life for their inhabitants. Are there agencies dedicated to providing sustainable services? Are natural and cultural sites well-protected? Some locations receive certifications and awards for their sustainability pledges. For example, each year the European Commission awards a European city the Green Capital and Green Leaf Award.
  • Choose to spend time at “second city and park” locations instead of joining the mass of tourists in a vacation hotspot. This way, you can still visit major attractions without contributing as much to over-tourism and pollution. Camp at lesser known state parks and national forest campgrounds and visit a popular national park for the day.
  • Stay in a town or village near a major attraction. You’ll experience a more authentically local visit and contribute to a smaller economy.
  • Visit locations off-peak when energy and natural resource demands are less. You’ll stimulate local economic growth and provide additional work hours for otherwise seasonally-employed workers.

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

How Batteries Find a New Life at Recycle Utah

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In an era heavily influenced by technological advancements, batteries have become an integral component of our daily lives, powering an array of devices from remotes to sophisticated electric vehicles. However, the challenge arises when these batteries reach the end of their lifespan. Enter Recycle Utah, a reliable resource for the responsible disposal of any type of battery.

Recycle Utah streamlines the recycling process with drop-off bins outside our office, categorized for alkaline, rechargeable, and large batteries. Collaborating with industry leaders such as Battery Solutions and Interstate Batteries, Recycle Utah orchestrates the environmentally sound recycling journey of batteries, encompassing a wide range from alkaline to car batteries.

Within these recycling facilities, batteries undergo a systematic separation and disassembly process. Alkaline and zinc-based batteries are subjected to a specialized room temperature mechanical separation, yielding zinc and manganese concentrate, steel, and paper/plastic for reuse. Lithium-ion batteries, prominent in electronic devices, undergo a room temperature, oxygen-free mechanical process, producing cobalt and lithium salt concentrate, stainless steel, and aluminum. The intricate processes employed guarantee not only the recycling but the transformation of batteries into valuable materials to produce new items, contributing to a circular and sustainable battery economy.

In contemplating the repercussions of improper battery disposal, the potential release of toxic materials into the environment looms large, posing significant threats to both human health and ecosystems. Improper disposal, whether in landfills or through incineration, risks soil contamination and the emission of toxic fumes. Recycle Utah’s recycling processes serve as a safeguard against such environmental hazards, underscoring the importance of responsible battery recycling. Through partnerships, effective sorting, and advanced recycling technologies, Recycle Utah paves the way for a greener future where batteries find renewal without compromising environmental well-being.

By Chelsea Hafer

The Footprint of Online Returns

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Oh, the joy and convenience of typing a few keys in search of that perfect jacket, punching purchase, and having it arrive on your doorstep three days later. There are environmental pros and cons to both online and in-store purchases depending on one’s consumerism knowledge and awareness. The clencher is timing; our societal ‘now’ mindset wants items the next day after purchasing, which means the product could be transported by airplane or in a partially full truck. Can it wait? Also, can multiple items be purchased from the same supplier to minimize packaging and trips? Choosing slower shipping options not only saves money but also allows for retailers to have more time to plan and consolidate deliveries.

Then, there are the returns. Customers return at least 30% of clothing purchased online resulting in millions of tons of carbon emissions per year. Finally, the waste. About one in four returned goods is landfilled, possibly due to out of season styles. So, what is the best way to reduce returns from online shopping? So, how can you best reduce your returns when shopping online?

  1. Does the item have complete product information including customer reviews?
  2. Could retailers offer a discount on items that aren’t returned?
  3. Do retailers resell, donate, repurpose, or recycle returned clothes? Learn before you buy and find out how returns are handled.
  4. Are there local options for your desired online product?
  5. Do not purchase multiple sizes online knowing that a return is inevitable.
  6. Double check your ‘cart’ for size, color, etc. before purchasing.

In conclusion, knowing that we’re all drawn to online convenience, I’m still a fan of buying locally to support our businesses and save on packaging. Returns are less likely with in-store purchases. Research reveals only 9% of items are returned from in-store purchases versus 30% online. Let’s be mindful about how we buy things by consolidating errands and shopping to reduce car trips. The pandemic may have exacerbated online purchases, but there’s no reason we can’t tweak our buying behavior and reverse the trend.

By Mary Closser

Eating Locally and Seasonally

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Nowadays, food items and goods are all easily accessible. Vast improvements in food preservation, transportation, and food production have helped the world in many ways. However, many people don’t consider the environmental impact of the modern food industry. Because you can now buy food imported from foreign countries, carbon emissions from vehicles which use non-renewable energy are emitted in massive quantities. In fact, the Journal of Industrial Ecology states, “Globally, food consumption accounts for 48% of household impacts on land resources and 70% of impacts on water resources.”  

Transportation of goods is only one factor that goes into the total amount of waste and carbon emissions that come from the food industry. Mass production of beef and poultry causes significant damage to the environment in the form of methane emissions and deforestation, to name a couple.  

So, what’s the solution? Eat locally and seasonally! Eating locally is within our control and has positive impacts on the environment. Buying food from local sources means that food doesn’t have to be transported over long distances. Buying local products also helps support small businesses and boosts the local economy. Local food is typically fresher, coming from nature to your plate in reduced time, and doesn’t require preservatives, which are potentially harmful for the body.   The same thing goes for seasonal food; eating the fruits and vegetables that are in season takes away some of the strain on farms to grow food out of season which may lead to problems with water, land-usage, and strain on resources. Buying food that’s out of season also means that it’s likely being shipped in from someplace else, which creates a high carbon footprint. Lastly, buying food that is in season will be less expensive because of supply and demand. We are lucky to live in Park City where we have numerous local suppliers, from which to buy locally grown, fresh food. Try researching local suppliers in Park City and you will most definitely find what you’re looking for. 

By Grayson Rae, Sophomore at Park City High School