Statewide survey seeks opinions, concerns and ideas about Utah recycling efforts

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah residents have until Sept. 30 to complete a statewide survey on recycling sponsored by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

“The Utah Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control wants to hear from you about your experiences, challenges and ideas related to recycling, reuse and waste reduction,” according to state officials in a Sept. 26 social media post.

“Your feedback is crucial for helping us understand the current landscape,” they emphasized.

Officials are seeking opinions about recycling options in Utah to understand waste management practices throughout the state. Utah residents are being encouraged to complete the state’s short five- to ten-minute anonymous survey with their ideas, opinion and concerns about recycling.

Recycling in Utah began as a community volunteer effort in 1978 in Park City, which eventually grew within a decade into a drop-off site for newspaper, cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminum in a rundown metal building there.

In the 1980s, cities got into the act nationwide, with the percentage of municipal solid waste that was recycled growing quickly from about 16 percent to 25 percent. While early environmentalists predicted that America would be recycling up to half its trash by 2030, the country’s average recycling rate is still hovering at about 35 percent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Estimates of the current status of recycling here in Utah by advocacy groups vary from 19 percent to 37 percent. State officials decline to comment on the current status of recycling, however, because there were no requirements for recycling facilities across the state to provide regular reports until 2024.

The survey from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality can be found at www.recycle.utah.gov