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Glass recycling program expanding to more than 30,000 homes in Salt Lake County

Posted at 9:43 PM, May 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-29 23:43:48-04

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah -- Sick of dumping your glass recyclables or driving to dispose of them properly?

A new curbside pickup program is expanding services to more than 30,000 homes in Salt Lake County.

Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling is partnering with Momentum Recycling to make curbside glass pickup more convenient for Utahns. They’ve expanded services to homes in Immigration Canyon, Canyon Rim, East Millcreek, Mount Olympus Cove, Cottonwood Heights and a portion of Murray.

“We do get a lot of people who are asking about expanded curbside service,” Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams said. “It is the right thing to do. The more waste that we can keep out of the stream going into the landfill, we’re going to extend the life of that landfill, pollute less, and contaminate less our land.”

More than 26 tons of glass have been collected since the program started in Salt Lake City last August. This latest expansion is phase two of the master plan. The ultimate goal is to serve the entire district within four years.

“If we use Salt Lake City as a starting point and achieve the same success we’ve had with the Salt Lake City curbside program, we think we’ll see significant growth still with this program,” said Jeff Whitbeck, a managing partner with Momentum Recycling.

Under the new system, residents in the included areas can pay $8 a month to receive a recycling bin dedicated to glass.

“Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling will collect it on behalf of the cities and counties that they serve and bring it here to Momentum Recycling, who will then recycle it and repurpose it for further use,” McAdams said.

Once the glass makes it to Momentum, it's crushed and sorted by color, size and cleanliness. Then local companies, like Owens Corning in Nephi, pick it up for their own use.

“Glass is such a great opportunity because it can be used continuously,” Whitbeck said. “It can constantly be recycled and used again and again, and there aren’t a lot of resources here to recycle glass.”

Both recycling companies have staff going door-to-door in the new service areas to raise awareness about the program. To learn more about where it's headed in the future, or to sign up, click the links below.

Momentum Recycling in Utah

Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling District