Salt Lake City recycling companies
Curbside collection for green waste and recycling is included at no extra charge with garbage service through Salt Lake City Waste & Recycling, and extra cans are available at no cost. The city isn’t the only option for waste and recycling service, but it is the most convenient, and possibly the most cost-effective.
Ace Disposal and Rocky Mountain Recycling are two additional recycling companies in the Salt Lake Valley.
Momentum Recycling is another option. They also contract with SLC for two additional add-on services, glass and food waste. With the only glass recycling facility in Utah, Momentum offers residential curbside glass recycling pickup for $8 per month, which is billed with the city utility charges. The company also works with Wasatch Resource Recovery for both business and residential food waste collection. This awesome service was recently expanded to my neighborhood, and I’ve found it well worth the $13 per month to keep my food waste out of the landfill. Learn more about these services below.
Hard-to-recycle items
For items that are trickier to recycle, there are many resources available.
The first is Recyclops, a recycling company that picks up hard-to-recycle items directly from your home. For $15/month, they collect light bulbs, batteries, plastic films, and clothing/textiles. Clamshells are an additional $1.50/month, and Styrofoam is an extra $5/month.
The Utah Recycling Alliance is a fantastic organization that holds periodic CHaRMS events where they collect hard-to-recycle items; check their website for accepted items. They also offer Fix-It clinics to assist you in repairing broken items.
For other items, such as electronics, batteries, light bulbs, or mattresses, find links for more information below.
What if recycling is not offered at your apartment complex?
Salt Lake City has a city ordinance requiring businesses and multi-family properties that produce over 4 cubic yards of waste per week to have a recycling program. This is equal to eight 96-gallon containers, roughly the amount produced by multi-family properties with 15 or more units, and businesses with 10-15 or more employees.
You can always request that your landlord provide recycling service, but if you are not comfortable with that, or they aren’t complying with your request, you can fill out this form to submit to the city.
In the meantime, drop off mixed recycling (paper, cardboard, metals, and plastic) at Rocky Mountain Recycling, the public recycling drop-off bins at the Salt Lake Valley Landfill, or the resources listed under desired material types below.
Curbside recycling in Salt Lake City
Each city in Salt Lake County has access to curbside mixed recycling through either contracted or city-run services. Each of these may differ on exactly what items are accepted for recycling, so always check with your specific provider. This page is meant as a guide specifically for SLC residents.
What can you recycle?
Remember that mixed recycling consists of paper, plastic, and metal materials. If needed, take a moment to review general recycling how-tos and FAQs. In our blue curbside collection cans, the following materials are acceptable (click on the boxes for more information):
Metals
Aluminum and Tin
Paper
Any paper or cardboard products
Plastic
Resin codes #1-7
Optional curbside recycling programs
There are two more curbside recycling options offered in Salt Lake City: glass and food waste. Each of these is an additional fee, and if you don’t generate much waste in these categories or you don’t want to pay the extra cost, you can still participate with drop-off locations. Again, both of these programs–glass and food waste collections–are available through SLC, in conjunction with Momentum Recycling. Click the categories below to learn more.
Glass
Any color of glass
Food Waste
Includes fats, dairy, & meat
Green waste collection
Salt Lake City provides curbside green waste collection, but this is not the case for some other cities. If yours does not offer this service, make sure to express your desire for that service to your local waste management office. In the meantime, one option is to sign up for service with Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling District.
Be aware that if you transport green waste to the Salt Lake Valley landfill yourself, it goes into the trash section and not with the rest of the compost. I was told it is a space issue. Instead, take your green waste to other locations, especially if you have frequent large loads of green waste, such as from a landscaping business. Try Diamond Tree Experts or Oquirrh Mountain Compost. It is probably less of a commute than to the dump and a much greener endeavor to turn green waste into mulch or compost.
Click here to learn about different methods of composting–even if you don’t have a yard!
Other recycling resources
Recycling directory for the Wasatch Front
Currently, I have only listed cities along the Wasatch Front. For Utah recycling information by county, click here.
Find a recycling facility near you using the Dept. of Environmental Quality’s recycling map.
Salt Lake County
| City | Curbside Recycling Provider | Green Waste Available | Curbside Glass Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alta | WFW | N | |
| Bluffdale | WM | N | |
| Brighton | WFW | N | |
| Cottonwood Heights | WFW | Y | |
| Draper | City | Y | |
| Emigration | WFW | Y | |
| Herriman | WFW | N | |
| Holladay | WFW | Y | |
| Kearns | WFW | ||
| Magna | WFW | Y | |
| Midvale | Ace | Y | |
| Millcreek | WFW | Y | |
| Murray | Ace for most; WFW | Y | |
| Riverton | WM | N | |
| Sandy | Most WM; WFW | Y | |
| Salt Lake City | City | Y | Y |
| South Jordan | Ace | N | |
| South Salt Lake | Ace | Y | |
| Taylorsville | WFW | Y | |
| West Jordan | Ace | N | |
| West Valley City | Ace | N | Y |
Davis County
| City | Curbside Recycling Provider | Green Waste Available | Curbside Glass Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bountiful | Y | ||
| Centerville | Ace | Y | Y |
| Clearfield | |||
| Clinton | None; may set up with Mountain West Recycling or drop off at Wasatch Integrated Waste Management | ||
| Farmington | |||
| Fruit Heights | None; may set up with Mountain West Recycling or drop off at Wasatch Integrated Waste Management | Y | |
| Kaysville | N | ||
| Layton | N | ||
| North Salt Lake | Y | ||
| South Weber | None; paper drop off at South Weber Elementary School; set up curbside via Ace Disposal | N | |
| Sunset | N | ||
| Syracuse | None; set up curbside via Mountain West Recycling or drop off at Wasatch Integrated Waste Management | Y | N |
| West Bountiful | Y | ||
| West Point | Ace | Y | N |
| Woods Cross | Y |