Safe Recycling in South Salt Lake

By Brian Shaw  |  brian.shaw @mycityjournals.com

The city of South Salt Lake is by its own admission unique and on the move. Rarely in any Utah community will you find as many residential areas also zoned for mixed-use. 

Living in South Salt Lake presents many unique challenges for area residents. Looking at a zoning map alone will tell you as much (www.southsaltlakecity.com/uploads/documents/Zoning_10_30_14.pdf). 

For starters, if you reside near the Jordan River, your home may be situated mere yards from a light industrial area. Although it’s highly unusual for area companies to dump their wastes illegally on residential premises, it has been known to happen. 

And that presents an interesting set of challenges to South Salt Lake residents. It’s a potential problem that area recycling companies are also familiar with. The ratio of industrial and commercial areas to homes is about 70-30 in South Salt Lake. 

So with that in mind, the company that provides garbage collection and recycling for the city has some friendly advice. “We want to keep the possibility of contamination down,” said Dawn Beagley, business development director for ACE Disposal. 

ACE has been front and center in the city’s campaign to recycle not just the usual items, but also items that might be considered unconventional—a reality for South Salt Lake residents living so close to oil refineries, warehouses and the like. 

Their recent flier (which you can see on their website at: www.acedisposal.com/pdf/2015/SOUTHSALTLAKECITY2016SSRCALENDER.pdf outlines the many methods and dates on which city residents can safely recycle items like paper, metals, cardboard and plastics to help make their city and their environment a little safer. 

However, there are several things area residents cannot recycle, which includes but is not limited to hazardous waste products, styrofoam packaging and even dirty paper plates and cups. 

“We know that with the lowered gas prices people are also more inclined to find ways to dispose of petroleum based products, but they need to understand there are certain ways they should do it,” added Beagley. 

Creating more work for recycling companies like ACE just makes it harder on all involved, she said. For best results, she urged all area residents to leave out appropriate items for recycling collection every other week on the same day you have your trash picked up in the area in which you live. 

Residents are encouraged to not put recyclables in plastic bags. 

For more information on when and where recycling collection occurs in your area, please look at the map at www.acedisposal.com/images/pickup_ssl_r.jpg.