Coffee — that special liquid that coaxes us from slumber through its aroma and taste every morning. Have you ever thought about the associated waste with this daily ritual?

While our consumption differs, my general calculation reveals one 10-ounce bag of java per week for two coffee drinkers in a home. Imagine 52 of these bags in the landfill, just from your household!

Sadly, the packaging requires an aluminum barrier to protect the coffee properly, and that thin layer of aluminum is adhered to polyester film, making the packaging unrecyclable as a mixed material.

What can we do about this? Stop drinking coffee and switch to compostable tea bags, packaged in paper? Perhaps.

The good news is that there are sustainable options, though they require some work, creativity, and new habits.

Buy coffee beans in bulk and refill them in your own glass, tin, or plastic container. I use two tin cans and alternate refilling them with bulk coffee from The Market. Not all stores offer this, so you’ll need to call around.

Check out Hello Bulk in Salt Lake City for many other bulk products. Or you can directly purchase from a shop or manufacturer that roasts on-site. If they currently bag coffee, request a more environmental alternative.

Find alternatives to using pods for single-use coffee machines, at home or work. Reusable coffee filters are available to wash and reuse instead of sending them to the landfill.

Speak up to your favorite coffee manufacturer or local café. Consider changing to a different manufacturer that is more sustainable (and let the old one know why you changed). Make positive suggestions.

Coffee is an industry riddled with single-use satisfaction, with the numerous to-go cups, lids, K-cups and coffee bags landing in landfills. Don’t forget your reusable mug. Ditch the K-cups. Buy beans in bulk. Compost beans and compostable filters.

Finally, buy light or medium roast to save energy and enhance caffeine intake!

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information: www.recycleutah.org.

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We crave the flavor and aroma. The taste brings us joy and for some, relief. Yet, there’s a story behind the 146 billion cups of coffee a year that Americans often celebrate in our morning routine.

Just how sustainable is the bean that goes into that daily cup of joe? How and where did it grow, get harvested, processed, and roasted? Coffee is now grown in more than 50 countries, with Brazil being the world’s largest producer.

Our desire to caffeinate involves many steps before it lands in our mug; the coffee industry, like any other, has environmental and social impacts.

First, how was the crop managed? Was the soil protected with minimal water use? Was it “shade-grown” on a farm featuring an array of native trees creating a canopy over the coffee bushes? This boosts biodiversity, decreases soil erosion, and acts as a carbon sink. Was the bean waste composted and used as a fertilizer?

Second, how are the farmers treated? Is social justice instilled to promote fair wages, humane conditions for employees, gender equality and education access for children?

Third, is the coffee organic? USDA Organic certification bans the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, in addition to requiring farmers to use methods that prevent soil erosion.

Look for the following certifications when purchasing coffee: Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance, B Corp, Shade Grown, Carbon Neutral, or Organic.

Beyond the bean itself, other sustainable tidbits include:

1. Is the coffee light, medium, or dark roasted? Current research reveals that because
   light-roasted beans are roasted at lower temperatures and for less time, they are a better environmental choice (and may also contain more caffeine!)
2. How is your coffee packaged? Is the packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable?
3. If you use pods, are they reusable vs. single-serve? The same goes for sugar and cream.
4. Are you composting your grounds and filters, if used?
5. How sustainable (and healthy) are your add-ins? Locally sourced? Organic? Dairy-free?

I hope these guidelines help to enrich your next cup of joe to complete satisfaction.

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information: www.recycleutah.org.

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Habits. Many are ingrained in our daily lives, from brushing our teeth to drinking coffee. Breaking habits is challenging, but sometimes the break can benefit our health, environment, and others around us.

A habit we all need to break is idling our vehicles. People idle in ATM lines, drive-throughs, school zones, post offices and even the Recycle Utah line.

Park City and Summit County have one-minute idling ordinances. Listed exceptions include waiting in traffic, authorized emergency vehicles, auxiliary power for law enforcement or fire and water equipment, refrigeration, drilling, lifts, farming and battery charging.

Other exclusions are inspection or repair of a vehicle, health or safety of a person or service animal, safe driving conditions and efficient operations of a turbo-charged heavy-duty vehicle.

There are no exceptions for hot and cold days.

Decades ago, cars with carburetors needed a warm-up in cold weather. However, today’s engines with electronic fuel injectors don’t need to reach operating temperature before they can be driven.

In fact, warming up your car by idling can damage it long term. The faster a car reaches operating temperature, the better it is for keeping the engine’s moving parts in good condition with lubricated oil.

On freezing mornings, scrape, then slowly drive away. Idling also equates to driving miles and carbon dioxide release.

Please check out our community’s idling ordinances and don’t be shy about educating others when they’re idling! Start with a wave, smile, eye contact and a gesture of turning the key.

Be polite, with a “Would you mind turning off your engine?” Justify your ask with a reason. It could be that you’re trying to educate others about our local ordinances or that you or a family member has bad asthma. Always say thank you and give a thumbs up if they flip the key.

It’s time to break this unnecessary and harmful habit. Can we go idle-free while we wait, talk, text, or eat? Let’s model by example and respectfully educate the new families in our community on how we do it here.

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information – www.recycleutah.org.

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Laundry is something we all do habitually. Our washers and driers are two of our household’s highest energy-consuming appliances, consistently running in our homes. A dose of creativity and change can not only save electricity, but also gas, waste and money. Read on for tips!

1. Wash on cold. Heating water is responsible for more than 70% of a washer’s energy consumption. Ironically, some stains like sweat or blood can actually ingrain further into fabric in hot water vs cold water. Cold water washing also reduces wrinkles, fading and shrinkage.
2. Upgrade to Energy Star. You can also look into heat pump dual washer/drier options or a heat pump drier. Efficiency is affected by design, age, and settings used. Run machines during off-peak hours if possible, after 10 p.m. or mid-day.
3. Ditch fabric softeners. They are an extra expense and can leave residue in the wash. Try old, faithful, and inexpensive white vinegar instead. Similarly, ditch drier sheets and replace them with natural wool drier balls to reduce static and drying time. Don’t forget to regularly clean the lint filter to maximize drier efficiency!
4. Reduce plastic waste by transitioning from large plastic jugs (often laden with chemicals) to washing sheets, tablets, pods, or eggs. After experimentation, my family settled on an egg in combination with homemade powder detergent.
5. Re-wear clothes if possible before filling the washer load and use drying racks or clotheslines! Utah air dries clothes in no time and preserves quality.

Finally, how do we reduce microplastics (often from nylon, polyester, and acrylic clothing) from entering our laundry? The best options are to wash less, use full loads and cold water, use less detergent in front-loading washers, hang dry, use a microplastic filter bag or attachment filter, and buy more clothing made from natural materials.

Change is challenging. But like seasons, relationships, technology, or weather, change surrounds us. The time has come to step out of our habitual boxes and shake things up to grow with the times, for our planet, pocketbook, and health. Good luck and have fun!

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information: www.recycleutah.org.

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The Blue Sky Energy program has been around for over 20 years. Much like donating to a non-profit, participants in the Blue Sky program can invest their dollars and support a renewable energy future.

When signing up for Blue Sky by purchasing blocks, a business or resident is creating demand for renewables in our region. To date, Blue Sky has supported more than 9.2 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy across the Western region. This equates to energy for around 938,000 homes for one year! 

The opt-in Blue Sky program requires no upfront costs or contract. Customers choose their level of support.

Funds are used to purchase Green-e Energy Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from renewable energy resources. Their dollars also go toward funding small- and medium-scale community-based renewable projects (189+ to date), such as rooftop solar installed at homeless shelters, fire stations, schools and more.

Blocks are the equivalent of 100kWh of energy and cost $1.95/block. Find a list of some Blue Sky projects installed from block payments here: https://www.rockymountainpower.net/community/blue-sky-projects.html. To learn more or enroll, go to rockymountainpower.net/bluesky.

Another opportunity to support the local transition to renewables is through the Utah Renewable Communities Program, created in 2021 after HB411 (Utah Community Renewable Energy Act) was passed in 2019.

This coalition of 18 cities, counties and towns is committed to providing clean energy for Utah, starting as early as 2025. This program differs from Blue Sky in that it drives large-scale renewable energy development, accessible to all Rocky Mountain Power customers.

Blue Sky is a certificate-based program that helps support our utility to acquire and retire RECs, while the URC Program will deliver electricity directly to our grid. The goal of the URC Program is to bring enough renewable energy from solar and wind to eventually supply net-100% electricity for Rocky Mountain Power customers, including Park City, Summit County, Francis, Oakley and Coalville.

Once the program gains approval from the Utah Public Service Commission and is ready to launch, the current coalition will make choices about what new renewable energy project to bring online. Support the URC Program by subscribing to updates at https://www.utahrenewablecommunities.org/.

It’s promising that renewables have developed enough in Utah to provide choices for us as consumers. Both programs are critical and we should be grateful that Blue Sky opened their program doors when they did. The more we can do as individuals to support our clean energy future, the better.

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information – www.recycleutah.org.

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Rumor has it that it’s not worth recycling any plastics, as they end up in the landfill. Are what Republic picks up at the curb every other week actually being made into a new product?

While I can’t proclaim what occurs in other communities, I can say what occurs in Summit County. What is happening to our plastics… and more? Is it worth the effort to recycle?

Most recyclables, at this time, are not profitable except metals (a crime to see in the trash!). Glass is very recyclable and like metal, never degrades in quality, while paper and plastic weaken a bit each time. Glass, after transport, rarely pays back. Cardboard and paper are critical to recycle with fluctuating markets (often related to online orders) but they’re important to recycle due to released methane when landfilled.

Plastic is complicated. While there is seldom a payback, it’s the right thing to do. Most #1 and #2 plastics have a market; they are chipped and recycled into fleece, decking, carpet, etc. Everything else (#3 – #7) is now often used as “waste to energy” to make cement at a local plant in Morgan, Utah. At least 30% of fossil fuels are avoided in the process, replaced by petroleum-based products like used plastics and tires. 

We’ve learned that at least 80% of what is going into our curbside recycling bins is being recycled (it used to be 65%) — that’s great! Plastic bags, glass, Styrofoam, and food are the biggest contamination culprits. One bad egg doesn’t make a difference, but many making bad do. As Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information – www.recycleutah.org.

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We at Recycle Utah often get questions about the small stuff. The caps? Lids? Corks? Small bath products? First, keep in mind that products need to be pure. If it’s a mixed material, it’s often not recyclable. Additionally, all materials need to be 90% clean of any residue — food, grease, etc.

Lids can stay on plastic bottles and be recycled through curbside service or Recycle Utah. Though, there’s a good chance the lid will pop off when bailed and may be swept aside into the landfill pile at the Salt Lake City recycling facility. Recycle Utah has designated containers for small plastics, corks and more to assure recyclability of small items.

Metals are important to always recycle as they consistently have market value — and recycling metals is less energy intensive than converting the raw material of ore into a new metal. Try compacting foil pieces, yogurt covers and more into a tennis ball-sized mass or save them in a sealed metal can. Metal products are often mixed with plastic — consider that the item needs to be at least 70% metal to be recyclable.

Now the bathroom, an open door to creative alternatives! First, how can you reduce? If your product is disposable, is there a sustainable and non-plastic replacement such as washable wipes, glass or metal containers, toothpaste tabs or bulk buys? And did you know that Recycle Utah accepts toothbrushes and toothpaste containers, a program with Colgate and Terracycle?

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information – www.recycleutah.org.

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What do food expiration dates really mean? “Food product dating,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is voluntary for most products and has nothing to do with safety. It is the manufacturer’s best guess as to when the product passes the point of peak quality.

Produce is easy — we see it and smell it. But what about the other products that hang out in our refrigerators and cabinets?

1. Baking materials: Vinegars, syrups, honey, vanilla, sugar and salt can last forever without degrading quality. Steel cut or rolled oats can last for a year, instant oats forever. Oils stored in sealed cans are invincible while glass is less sustainable.
2. Bread, flour and rice: Supermarket bread with oils and preservatives can last for weeks in the fridge. White flour and refined white rice can last up to a year or more whereas whole wheat, gluten-free flours and brown rice will start degrading after several months. Smell it and always store airtight.
3. Spices and nuts: Spices have longevity but lose potency and flavor. Nuts, though, can go rancid within months unless stored in the freezer.
4. Canned goods and beans: Note that metal lasts longer than glass, which trumps plastic. This includes canned sodas, too. Dried beans and lentils are safe for years.
5. Eggs and milk: Eggs can last several weeks after purchasing them. Look for “UHT” or ultra-high temperature on your milk label for longer-lasting milk.

Our landfills contain heaps of food waste. Be smart when you shop — purchase smaller quantities for certain foods, freeze some items and remember that expiration dates are not always true. Your nose is the best test.

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information – www.recycleutah.org.

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By Mary Closser

Sometimes it would be easier to be bald. Think of all the money saved, time and bad hair days. Then, there’s the carbon footprint from the salon — the waste from hair, plastic containers, packaging, foils, and paper towels. Then, the energy and water waste from blow dryers, hair washing and laundry. The chemical waste from dyes, bleach, peroxides, disinfectants, and associated air pollution from the odors are important, too. One study found that 20% of hairdressers in the United States leave the business due to allergies or dermatitis.

So, what to do about this carbon intensive commonality for many humans: hair?

The first step is to ask questions as the business won’t survive without us. Is your salon a member of the Green Circle Salons, a certified sustainable salon organization? If not, why not? My research revealed there are a few Green Circle salons in Salt Lake City. Yes, salons need to pay to join but I know I’d be willing to add a few bucks to my cut to support the entry.

Green Circle Salons certify saving energy and water in various ways, but they also focus on the recovery, recycling and repurposing of beauty waste including hair clippings, color, metals, plastics, safety materials and more. Hair clippings, for example, can get made into hair mats for oil spills or storm water filtration. Foils, tubes, and aerosol cans get recycled into new metal materials. And, as the demand for eco-friendly products in our shampoos, conditioners and lotions has increased, prices are becoming more competitive. So, think twice before your next appointment. Do some research and if you’re “married” to your stylist, start asking questions.

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips.  Visit their website for more information – www.recycleutah.org.

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Our food, clothing, electronics, and even alcohol… there’s a carbon footprint for everything. Drinks of pleasure can weigh heavily on the environment. Whether it’s the associated transportation or water, packaging, or agriculture demands, there’s a carbon footprint for every processing stage.

1. Beer: Refrigeration and transportation account for most of the overall emissions. Buy local! Cans vs. bottles is better and cans are recycled more. Draft is best, and organic is preferred, assuring that no synthetic fertilizer was used. Research your beer – some companies do more than others in regard to energy, recycling, water and transportation efficiency, composting spent grains, capturing methane and more. Best yet, brew your own.

2. Wine: The majority of wine’s footprint comes from shipping. The key is to buy near – Utahns should buy from Utah or California, New Yorkers from Italy. Room temperature is better (red) in addition to organic/no sulfite options. Select natural cork, a renewable material, verses metal or plastic. And if water is a concern, go for bubbly wines made with early-harvested grapes. The box has a lower footprint than the bottle due to the weight from shipping and the bag, once rinsed, can be recycled at Recycle Utah.

3. Spirits: The greatest concern with most spirits is the distillation process utilizing energy and water, resulting in pulp and wastewater. Buy progressive brands, transparent about their production process. For example, do they turn byproduct waste into compost, animal feed or irrigation water? Do they grow without pesticides and herbicides?

Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information – www.recycleutah.org.

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