Salt Lake City awarded funding for recycling education program

Salt Lake City has received a $954,687 Recycling Education and Outreach Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement improvements to the city’s residential recycling outreach program.

“Rain or shine, Salt Lake City’s residential recycling and waste collection program keeps our neighborhoods clean, safe and healthy,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall says. “This grant will expand our recycling efforts and build upon our work to lead the way on sustainability and stewardship.”

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Funding will be administered by the Salt Lake City Sustainability Department’s waste and recycling division, which directs residential recycling collection for more than 42,000 residential homes and 650 small businesses. The waste and recycling division says funding will be used to expand its education and outreach activities with a focus on the city’s west side.

City officials say the grant will foster partnerships between the sustainability department and community-based organizations, schools and the city’s youth and family division to offer recycling ambassador programs focused on the stakeholders each organization serves. Funding will be used to add new part-time education specialists to the waste and recycling team, partner with the Utah Recycling Alliance, organize neighborhood collection events and improve educational materials.

Project rollout is anticipated for summer 2024.

“We are thrilled that the EPA selected Salt Lake City for this award,” says Debbie Lyons, sustainability department director. “We’ll use the funding to reimagine our recycling engagement efforts in close partnership with communities, residents and neighborhoods. I’m looking forward to seeing what ideas and collaboration emerge and how that ultimately helps improve our recycling program.”