Recycle Utah will move to a permanent home this year, but plans for the facility are not yet finalized.
The nonprofit is still ironing out details of its agreement with Park City and Summit County to use about four acres of land off U.S. 40 near Silver Summit. New Executive Director Andy Hecht said the papers will be signed soon.
In the meantime, Recycle Utah has been working with an architect on what the nonprofit’s future home will look like.
“There's a lot of different ways to go about constructing this, and we're looking at what is the most feasible for us, given our timelines, given our ambitions of what we want to achieve,” Hecht said. “We're suspecting it'll be in the neighborhood of $5 million to $7 million to build the facility, but we don't know yet.”
Recycle Utah should have a more concrete number in the coming months. Hecht said he hopes to launch a capital campaign in April. Summit County has already invested about $1.7 million in infrastructure improvements to the property — including grading and running utilities up to the lot — which helps.
Hecht said Recycle Utah leaders are looking at a 21,000-square-foot warehouse. With a facility that big, the nonprofit can hold material longer and sell it in truckloads, which comes with a higher profit margin. The site may also have room to add commercial diversion to its operations.
“We'll be looking at the possibility of having a commercial lane in so we can take commingled trucks and businesses and have a scale there, which is huge for the recycling world,” Hecht said.
The new facility will also allow Recycle Utah to expand its sustainability and education programs, which reach about 7,000 students across Summit County each year.
The nonprofit is excited to have a new home as the current facility in Park City isn’t large enough for the organization’s needs. Park City also notified Recycle Utah almost a year ago it must leave its location in Bonanza Park by Sept. 1, 2026, so the area can be redeveloped.
Hecht said Recycle Utah is aiming to stay open throughout construction, but the zero downtime goal may not be feasible. To make it possible, the nonprofit is considering a phased construction approach and working with the city to extend its eviction date.
Recycle Utah is a financial supporter of KPCW. For a full list, click here.
