It’s Earth Week!
Each day this week SLCgreen will post different tips and activities to challenge you to reduce your impact on the Earth.
To build off our waste theme, today we are looking at some common recycling mistakes.
Below is a list of common recycling errors and how to fix them.
Each day this week SLCgreen will post different tips and activities to challenge you to reduce your impact on the Earth.
Today we’re focusing on one of the most commonly asked questions: What to do with plastic bags?
Did you know that you shouldn’t bag your recyclables?
In fact, you should avoid putting plastic bags and garbage bags in your residential recycling bin entirely.
Plastic bags hinder the recycling process by:
Watch this video by DNA Info Chicago to see how plastic bags can interrupt recycling machines on a daily basis:
So what should you do? Continue reading
By Kyle Strayer
Keep an eye out for the city’s newest recycling trucks with our “Ditch Your Disposables” image.
The wrap covers eight of the new trucks, which have replaced older models. They are the newest addition to the city’s fleet of 34 trucks. (Check out previous years’ truck wraps here and here.)
Beyond the nifty new wrap, these state-of-the-art recycling trucks have a dynamic mechanical arm, multiple camera feeds displayed on the dashboard, two on-board trash compactors, and can haul 9 – 10 tons of material each.
Each truck has a low-emission profile too– three are Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and five are new clean diesel (100% of Salt Lake City’s refuse trucks are either CNG or clean diesel).
If you live in SLC, every item you recycle is eventually hauled off in one of the City’s trucks and taken to a recycling facility. These trucks travel miles of city streets every day, collecting material and sending it off to be made into something new.
Their widespread visibility is one reason we use them for public education.
So back to the new wrap: Why the slogan “Wash, Reuse, Repeat”?
Simply washing your durable products– whether a glass, coffee mug, silverware, or plate– instead of opting for disposables can save tons of material from going to the landfill each year.
(Sometimes disposable products are recycled, but usually they end up in the landfill. The waxy lining on paper coffee cups and plates makes them non-recyclable; and the difficult size and variable components of plastic utensils makes them ill-suited for recycling.)
Remember the tag line “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”?
We think the first and second words and resulting behaviors need a little more love.
“Wash Reuse Repeat” is a new spin on the original slogan, reminding everyone that: Continue reading
Are you interested in the nitty gritty of recycling?
In learning why plastic bags are so hard to deal with?
Or what happens when garbage gets sent to the landfill?
Would you like to become a greater champion for reducing, reusing, and recycling in our community?
Then consider joining Salt Lake City’s 2017 “Master Recycler program!”
The program has been providing in-depth education about recycling, composting, and solid waste management to Salt Lake community members since 2015. It gives participants a behind-the-scenes look at Salt Lake City’s waste management system from bin to recycling plant.
Our mission is “to create a network of champions who are trained in waste reduction strategies and are able to assist with outreach and engagement in the Salt Lake City community.”
By learning from outreach experts and visiting waste management facilities, Master Recyclers are empowered to educate their own communities about all aspects of waste reduction.
Everyone is welcome to participate! Registration is open until the class is full.
Are you passionate about recycling and helping Salt Lake City divert as much waste from the landfill as possible? Do you have management experience?
The Salt Lake City Sustainability Department is hiring a Program Director to head up our Waste & Recycling Division (formerly known as the Sanitation Division).
This position reports directly to the Sustainability Department Director, Vicki Bennett.
We are looking for candidates with operational experience and a broad vision to improve waste diversion including business and residential recycling, hard-to-recycle waste, recycling markets and green waste composting. Continue reading
Salt Lake City’s Sustainability Department is seeking an intern for the Waste and Recycling Division to assist with a comprehensive analysis of its bulk waste collection program that leads to a policy recommendation. This position is available for 500 hours at a rate of $15 per hour. Work hours are flexible.
This position is an ideal opportunity for a student or graduate in public policy or administration or a related field to be involved in a project that encompasses sustainability, public policy, regulation, municipal operations, budgeting and planning, and public engagement processes. The person in this position will work closely with budget, administrative, policy, and operational staff and will have exposure to various City offices and functions that may lead to other employment opportunities.
Scope of Work
The City has ambitious waste reduction and recycling goals and hopes to achieve zero-waste by 2040. The City is seeking innovative and creative ideas for improving the program that result in more recycling and materials recovery while also making the program more cost-effective and convenient.
This position will work closely with the Waste and Recycling Division Director and operations staff to develop a comprehensive proposal for an alternative program and be responsible for:
Qualifications
The City is looking for someone who is excited to dig deep into topics, likes to distill research into actionable ideas, and can make a persuasive case for change that is backed up with qualitative and quantitative data. This position requires someone who is highly self-motivated, curious, and is able to work independently as well as on a team. This position will have great latitude to shape the final product and be involved with presenting information to policy makers and the public.
Specific skills are:
Contact
Lorna Vogt, Waste and Recycling Division Director
Email inquiries only
Recycling? Check!
Bringing your reusable bag? Double-check!
Proudly displaying your idle-free sticker? Yup!
Mulching at home? Huh??
Did you know that one of sustainability’s best practices is to “leave leaves alone”?
In the fall, when autumn brings a chill to the air, and Salt Lake’s oaks and elms and other deciduous trees drop their leaves, many of us turn on the blowers, haul out the rakes, and get ready for some serious work.
But—have you considered an alternative? Using some or all of your leaves to mulch your yard or garden?
We’d like to invite you to do just that.
Feeding leaves back into your soil is a cost-effective and natural way to enrich your yard, as well as to protect fall plants and vegetables from the cold.
Curious? Here are some tips for making the most of our autumnal deluge:
Written by Lancee Whetman
Soda bottles, boxes, and aluminum cans…oh my! What you throw in your blue bin actually matters and will likely end up at facilities like Rocky Mountain Recycling (RMR) to be processed, sorted, and sent to companies for reuse.
With locations spanning across 11 states, RMR has a reputation for excellence in their field, as they recycle tens of thousands of tons each month and have continually achieved awards for Best of State in Utah. They provide innovative recycling services to commercial and industrial companies all over the United States as well as curbside recycling for Salt Lake City Residents.
As an intern with Salt Lake’s Department of Sustainability, I had the opportunity to visit and tour RMR’s facility in Salt Lake and inquire about what occurs behind the scenes in our city’s day-to-day recycling operations. RMR does not usually give tours due to safety concerns, so with my closed-toed shoes, neon colored vest, and protective eyewear, I was ready to get my sneak peak of where the city’s recycling goes.
