Antifreeze
As you’re pouring it into your car, it could almost pass as Kool-Aid, though drinking it would be toxic. But when it comes out, it can be a cherry red or a vibrant green — not the kind of “go green” we’re fond of. Keeping in mind how toxic it looks, remember that improper disposal of this chemical can be dangerous to animals, plants and humans.
The interesting thing about antifreeze is that the used product works just as well as the new product. Many facilities treat the chemicals on site and put them back to use. This means you need help
with this kind of waste management. Take these and other toxic liquids to the landfill. Someone will help you with the proper disposal of your old antifreeze.
Salt Lake Valley Landfill
SLCoHD Household Hazardous Waste Facility
385-468-3862
6030 West 1300 South
Mon-Sat 8:00 to 4:00 pm
Trans Jordan Landfill
Batteries
Single use batteries contain a lot of material that can be recycled, but that doesn’t mean they belong in your regular blue bin. The state of California has gone as far as making it illegal to throw these hazardous items away. In Utah we might not have a law against it, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to do your part to reduce and recycle.
If
waste management is on your mind, the best thing you can do for the Earth is buy rechargeable batteries. This way you’re reducing your consumption, and eliminating a lot of the waste that ends up in the landfill.
Standard batteries—Energizer, Duracell or Rayovac—are okay to throw away or recycle. Specific disposal will be needed for car, truck, ATV, wet cell, rechargeable, mercury or lithium batteries, as these products can be toxic.
Salt Lake Valley Landfill
SLCoHD Household Hazardous Waste Facility
6030 West 1300 South
385-468-3862
Mon-Sat 8:00 to 4:00 pm
Trans Jordan Landfill
SLCoHD
Household Hazardous Waste Facility
10473 S Bacchus Hwy
385-468-3862
Mon-Sat 8:00 to 4:00 pm
Murray Public Works
4646 South 500 West
385-468-3862
Sandy Public Works (Closed until further notice)
8775 South 700 West
385-468-3862
Bicycles and Bike Parts
Parting with a bicycle can be like parting with an old friend. It’s a tough decision to get rid of this two-wheeled machine. But when the time comes, there are still ways to get the most out of your bike, like bringing it somewhere to be refurbished and reused (like Salt Lake City’s own Bicycle Collective). Many charities will also accept the bikes as a donation.
But when it comes time to throw it out,
traditional disposal through your blue bin just won’t do. If your bike is in terrible shape, with no repair possible, it’s time to take it to a local metal recycling location.
Bicycle Collective : Used bicycles and their parts can be taken to:
2312 West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
801.FAT.BIKE (328.2453)
Building and Construction Material
Habitat for Humanity ReStore- Building materials and houseware
1276 South 500 West
801-263-0136
Tues-Sat 9am-6pm
Construction Recycling
620 South Delong (2350 West)
801 973-4626
Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm
Bland Recycling LLC - asphalt, concrete and dirt only
6451 West 2100 South
801 978-0352
Mon-Fri 7:30am-4:30pm
Cardboard
You’re a recycling master whose
goal it is to go green. When you get a carton of milk, you rinse it out before putting it in the blue bin. You avoid printing on paper at all costs, because who needs to waste the trees anyway? When it comes to cardboard, after a nice large pizza, you’re probably tempted to the box directly into your recycling bin without a second thought. Though you’re just trying to go green, this just won’t do.
A good rule of thumb for cardboard is that if it’s touched any food or fluid other than water, it shouldn’t be recycled. This means that after you’ve eaten the best pizza in Utah, only the top half of the box belongs in your blue bin, as long as it isn’t contaminated. Make sure everything is out of the cardboard and that all boxes have been broken down before you recycle it.
Rocky Mountain Recycling
2950 West 900 South
801-975-1820
Green Fiber
3061 South 3600 West
801-972-6551
Carpet Pad
Salt Lake Valley Landfill
6030 West 1300 South(California Avenue)
385-468-6370
Mon-Sat 8:00 to 4:00 pm
Carseats and Bike Helmets
When it comes to children, thoughtful folks will do their best to pass old items down. If you’re considering passing on an old car seat or bicycle helmet, you’re going about your
waste management in the wrong way.
Many people don’t realize that the plastic wears over time. In fact, most car seats come with an expiration date printed on the back—the date being typically 6 years from the manufacturing date. It’s time for the disposal of these items.
The Salt Lake County Health Department offers drop-off car seat recycling sheds at locations throughout the valley. Unless otherwise noted, locations are available for drop-off 24 hours at day, 7 days a week.
Herriman
Unified Fire Station #103
5916 West 13100 South
Murray
Murray Fire Station #84
163 East 5900 South
Riverton
Riverton Head Start
12891 South Redwood Road
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake Valley Transfer Station
502 West 3300 South
Open Monday to Saturday,
7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
South Jordan
Trans-Jordan Landfill
10473 So. Bacchus Highway
Open Monday to Saturday,
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
South Salt Lake
South Main Public Health Center
3690 South Main Street
West Valley
Public Works Facility
2805 South 3600 West
Open Monday to Thursday,
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Plastic
Your home is filled with it—bags, wrapping, straws, bottles—it lines your shelves, making it feel impossible to get away from. Plastic is one of the most common types of packaging. This is why we need to focus a major effort on improving our personal waste management efforts.
First and foremost, try to reduce your consumption of plastic. This means that you keep reusable bags, water bottles and straws on hand. This small step will allow you to go green by only doing a small part.
Fortunately, most plastics can be recycled, so there’s no need to stand confused at your blue bin. Firm, formed or molded plastics are ideal for recycling. However, if the plastic held a chemical, it’s prime for traditional trash disposal. Always try to keep in mind, “If it’s toxic to eat, it’s toxic to recycle.”
Rinse your plastics before you put them in your blue bin.
Paper
The popularity of recycling paper has been all over the place since the concept of reusing products began. Despite efforts like keeping a blue bin in your home, an average of 33 percent of our garbage output is still paper. When you’ve made the choice to go green, this is an area where you can direct most of your disposal efforts.
Most paper can be recycled, so long as it’s not carbon, checkbooks, hardback books, toilet paper or tissues. When preparing your recycling, do your best to keep all paper dry. Instead of shredding paper, which makes it harder to recycle due to the small fibers, use black marker to eliminate sensitive information.
Remove “non-papers” like rubber bands, binder clips or staples, and place them in your waste management bin.
Electronics
As technology becomes more popular, so should electronic recycling—but that’s not always the case. In fact, the year 2015 showed us that there were enough cell phones purchased to provide one phone for every four people. How many of these devices didn’t go through the correct waste management processes? Are they instead sitting in the landfill?
If you’ve got a TV, computer, printer, cell phone, or refrigerator, not only can they be used for spare parts, but they can also be reprocessed. First thing’s first, try to find an electronic recycling program near you. Many local electronic repair companies will be more than happy to take them off your hands to use in future products (by removing screws, screens, etc.).
Next, check your local tech companies (places like Best Buy or your phone store) for waste management programs.
Glass
Coffee, tea, beer, wine, vinegar—wherever you shop, whatever you drink, there’s a good chance that glass packages line the shelves in your pantry. Due to its popularity, glass recycling should be a vitally important part of your day.
When it comes to glass recycling, all you need to do is keep your glass separate from the rest of your recycling. Rinse out your containers before throwing them in your box. Do your best to remove metal lids before you take these items to be recycled.
You don’t need to worry about sorting the glass by color—after it’s gathered, professionals will take care of that. But remember, if you’ve got ceramics, mirrors, plates or light bulbs, even though they’re glass, these items need to go through traditional waste management processes.
Metal
If you’re trying to go green, metal recycling is a place to focus your efforts. This is because metal can be repeatedly recycled without changing its properties, and there is typically a lot of it around your home.
Whether it’s precious metals, copper, brass, lead or cleaned aluminum, they can all be collected and re-circulated. A major upside to metal recycling is that these products carry a higher scrap value.
Instead of sending them through traditional waste management processes, take a little time to collect your metals. If you bring them to the right place, you can get a little extra cash for turning them in.
Compost
When it comes to waste management in the state of Utah, composting is an entirely different ball game. The benefits of compost are countless; you’re enriching your soil, minus the use of dangerous chemicals.
Don’t let your food waste go to waste. Instead of throwing your raw fruits or vegetables, grass clippings, tree branches or bush trimmings in your blue bin, sign up for a compost program.
If you don’t have the money for the extra waste management service, create your own compost bin to feed your soil. You’re looking to build your compost out of three different items: browns, greens and water. Browns include items like twigs and leaves. Greens include vegetable scraps and grass clippings. Finally, the perfect amount of water will bring your compost to the bacteria rich place it needs to be. Always remember: cooked foods don’t belong in this kind of disposal system.
Medication
If you’ve got medication you don’t want to use, and you’re doing your best to go green, you’re probably concerned with where to put it. Though medication isn’t recyclable, proper disposal is encouraged. This is especially true during a time where pills are being abused.
One vital rule of thumb is: do not flush medications. It’s tempting to get these substances out of your homes through any means possible. Water treatment plants don’t typically test for medications, meaning this practice can contaminate your water.
For the safest disposal, return old medications to the pharmacy so that a professional can handle them.
Motor Oil and Filters
You’ll find out really quick that throwing oil away in your garbage can is illegal in most places. This is because oil is a product that is nearly impossible to clean and extremely flammable. Fortunately, as more people have focused on going green, recycling these items is becoming easier and easier.
The best forms of recycling are the ones that require minimal effort. When it comes to recycling your motor oil, this form of waste management only requires a quick ride to your nearest Auto Zone or O’Reilly’s. Make sure that your oil and filter are safely sealed in plastic containers.
Contact each location for specifics on their recycling programs.
Paint
Depending on what kind of paint it is, you’ll find that your product has a shelf life of 10 to 15 years. Imagine trying to throw out a liquid that strong—the environment just couldn’t handle it or break it down. Because paint is toxic, you need to make sure it gets to the right kind of waste management center.
Take these items back to the place you purchased them, and they will be recycled properly.
If you want to take care of your latex paint disposal, you can do that for yourself. Add equal parts cat litter and paint into the can. Make sure that the mixture has had time to sit for an hour, guaranteeing that the liquid will no longer spill. At this point, the paint is ready to go through traditional waste management methods (as long as the lid has been removed).
