Friendly Fall Reminders From Your Waste and Recycling Team 

By SLCgreen Intern Iris Tang

With fall in full swing, we wanted to share some seasonal reminders as we head into November. 

Leaves and Other Yard Waste 

Did you know a lot of your fall waste can be composted? Leaves, dead branches, clippings, and other green waste are all compostable! Composting where you can is a great way to divert waste from the landfill and lower emissions. Salt Lake City’s brown bins are for compost and their contents are processed at our city’s own compost facility. The facility processes the waste and recycles it into woodchips and compost, which are then available for purchase at the Salt Lake Valley Landfill. If you have questions on whether something is compostable, visit this link. 

If you find that your brown bins are filling up, you can request additional temporary bins (at no additional cost) here or by calling 801-535-6999. 

Pumpkins 

Speaking of composting where you can—unpainted pumpkins with no wax or other synthetic materials can be put in your brown bins. If you’re a pumpkin carver, ensure that you’ve taken out plastic lights or cleaned out any candle wax before putting them in compost. 

Candy Wrappers 

Unfortunately, candy wrappers are not recyclable and must be thrown in garbage bins. Candy wrappers are too small and thin to be properly sorted—and they are not recyclable in any case.  A general rule of thumb is, “when in doubt, throw it out.” 

Clean Gutters  

Leaves don’t just fall in your yard, they also fall into the gutters and sidewalks. Salt Lake City asks that you please help us prevent street flooding and protect stormwater by keeping your gutters clear.  Sweep leaves (if clean) into the compost bin. Or throw them away in the garbage if they are too contaminated with road residue or dirt. Clearing gutters is important because the leaves can block storm drains which can lead to flooding issue. Or, if washed into the stormwater system, they end up in our local streams and rivers. Stormwater runoff isn’t sent to the treatment plant like water from our homes. Leaves, grass clippings, and other debris decompose and end up depleting the oxygen in the water which has negative impacts on fish, insects, and other aquatic life. 

Collection Trucks 

As the days get darker it’s important to be extra cautious around collection trucks. Only pass collection trucks if you are confident you have full visibility of the street and remain patient if not. Keep in mind, collection trucks have a blind spot on the right and to never pass a truck on the right.