Recycle Utah is now accepting food waste from local homes.
Spokesperson Chelsea Hafer said the additional offering has been long-awaited.
“We've been hoping to accept food waste for a really long time, and we are very excited that it's finally happening,” she said.
The offering is possible thanks to a partnership with the Park City Community Foundation and Momentum Recycling.
Hafer said the foundation is fully funding food waste collection through its Zero Food Waste initiative. The initiative aims to divert all food waste from the Summit County landfill by 2030.
According to the foundation, diverting food waste protects water sources from contamination and reduces methane emissions, a greenhouse gas much more potent than carbon dioxide.
Food waste takes up almost 50% of the air space at the county landfill. Air space is defined as the volume of space at a landfill that is permitted for solid waste disposal.
Recycle Utah accepts all types of food waste, including packaged and unpackaged food, prepared food and fats.
“Egg shells, meat, small bones, any sort of produce, pasta, bread, any of that's okay, even oil,” Hafer said. “You can bring it in a compostable bag, if you would like.”
Hazardous oils, plastics and wood are not allowed in food waste recycling.
Food waste can only be dropped off at the nonprofit Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Recycle Utah is a financial supporter of KPCW. For a full list, click here.
