By Diane Ackerman, Guest Columnist
According to the EAE Business School, Spain recycles or reuses nearly 45% of its waste each year. Recycling rates across Europe are similar: the recycling rate in England is 44.1%, 41.7% in Scotland, and 56.7% in Wales. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the recycling rate in the U.S. is 32%. Put into context with other countries, our rate is low.
State and local governments in those countries create policies and fund budgets that prioritize recycling—you might imagine how over time, these investments would affect mainstream culture and social norms. That’s what we need in the U.S.
When you think of recyclable products, you likely think of glass: glass is not only 100% recyclable, but can be recycled innumerable times without compromising the quality of the material.
There are two options to recycle in the Moab area. You can recycle glass in both options, but the outcome may be quite different. We recognize the brown bin with the bright, yellow lid as the single-stream recycling option. Tossing all recyclables together in these brown containers can get a bit messy—as you might imagine, the glass gets broken and contaminates all the materials in the bin. Broken glass in single-stream recycling is dangerous to human handlers, and glass wears on the equipment in processing facilities.
Moab is behind the times in that we are one of the only municipalities in Utah that allow glass in single-stream recycling. Visit nearly any other city or town in Utah and you will find it illegal to toss glass in single-stream bins; instead, drop-off bins are conveniently located around town to deposit glass.
Canyonlands Solid Waste Authority (CSWA) will be renewing the solid waste (garbage) contract with Moab in Spring 2024. We need to join the rest of the state and get glass removed from single-stream. CSWA has been working with Carly Castle, City Manager (ccastle@moabcity.org) and Joette Langianese, City Mayor (jlangianese@moabcity.org): Ask them to consider removing glass from single-stream in the upcoming contract!
The second option to recycle in Moab is to bring your recyclables to Moab’s Community Recycle Center (CRC). While single-stream may be how most Americans recycle, many believe source-separated recycling is the responsible way to recycle. Those who do so in Moab keep the brisk business at the CRC flowing with clean items six days a week. If you are new to source-separated recycling, go to the Canyonlands Solid Waste Authority’s website (swssd1.org) to learn more. Take the time to visit the CRC located at 1000 Sand Flats Road in Moab and see for yourself how easy it is to recycle. You will find individual bins where you deposit your clean glass, plastic, and other source-separated recyclables.
There is no charge to recycle at the CRC, but a donation box is located near the bins. Many businesses and individuals sign on to a yearly sponsorship program to help support the facility.
You can live all your life in many different localities in the West without a recycling center as nice as the Moab CRC. Decades of strong community and government support for this center speak to the recycling ethic Moab continues to enjoy today.
The hard work of the employees, volunteers, and staff at the CRC and CSWA continues to make recycling more than just the right thing to do. Relatively painless and maybe even a little fun, you can be confident your recyclables are recycled and used to make other products.
Diane Ackerman represents Castle Valley on the Canyonlands Solid Waste Authority Board & serves on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Moab Sustainability Action Plan.
This article was updated on Sept. 7.
