Recycling in Utah has not always been easy. If you’re about sustainability and you live in Utah, you know how difficult it has been in the past to recycle even the most basic recyclable materials such as glass and paper. In fact, for the longest time Utah had one of the worst records when it came to recycling. That’s not the case anymore. Today, due to curbside recycling and organizations such as Recycle Utah, just about anything can be recycled.
Recycling in Utah – What You Need to Know
Items that can be thrown in your curbside recycle bin
- paper
- cardboard
- aluminum
- steel food cans
- PET plastic (soda and water bottles labeled #1)
- HDPE natural plastic (milk jugs)
- HDPE colored plastic (detergent bottles)
- mixed plastic (#3-7)
- styrofoam blocks and food containers
What doesn’t belong in your blue curbside bin
- shredded paper – shredded paper falls through machinery and eventually ends up in the landfill. Reuse shredded paper as little box material for pets, packaging material or compost material.
- plastic grocery bags – they get caught in the machinery and blow around flying out of the trucks, again ending up in the landfill. You can return these to the grocery store to recycle. Consider using reusable grocery bags to reduce the use and production of these difficult to recycle products.
- pizza boxes – greasy pizza boxes are not recyclable but if the top of the box is not greasy you can rip it off and put in the bin. Throw the bottom, greasy part of the box in the trash.
- glass – glass recycling has a $7 a month fee and us optional at this time. If you choose to recycle glass you will be provided with a special bin just for glass. Call Momentum Recycling at 801-355-0334 to learn more and sign up.
Electronics and other hard to recycle items
Only the items listed above can be recycled in the curbside bin, but you can still recycle items like batteries, electronics, ink cartridges, and other hard to recycle products at Recycle Utah. Call 435-649-9698 to learn more about hard to recycle items. Click here for a full list of acceptable items for recycling.