Resort area sees outsized MSW generation level

Park City, Utah, and Summit County in which it is situated are host to numerous ski resorts as well as numerous rental properties. That influx of visitors may be one reason why the county generates some 55 percent more municipal solid waste (MSW) per person compared with the national average.

According to the Park City-based Recycle Utah not-for-profit organization, the success of the ski resort area is contributing to a looming landfill closure that will require increased investments in recycling and waste diversion.

“Our landfill is filling up faster than it should,” writes the organization in a blog post on its website. “Limited space means that once it reaches capacity, there’s no option to expand—it simply closes,” adds Recycle Utah.

The recycling organization says it works with local officials to help divert nearly 2,000 tons of material from landfills each year. “However, our community as a whole is struggling to keep up with effective waste diversion, putting increasing pressure on our landfill and the environment,” writes Recycled Utah.

Recycle Utah also indicates it hired Michigan-based consulting firm RRS (also known as Resource Recycling Systems) to “analyze the county’s current waste management practices and provide recommendations for the future.”

According to the Park City-based TownLift.com website, Recycle Utah and the Summit County Solid Waste Division have been conducting public meetings to ask citizens to consider investing in recycling and diversion before the landfill capacity issue moves to the forefront.

At one such meeting, when Summit County Solid Waste Manager Tim Loveday announced that while residents in the average United States county send an average of 4.9 pounds of MSW to compared with 7.62 pounds per day in Summit County, audience members “audibly gasped,” according to TownLift.

The influx of short-term visitors can increase MSW volumes because of their presence and lower the landfill diversion rate because of their unfamiliarity with recycling options, according to county officials.

Plans recommended by Recycle Utah and its consultant RRS include opening a 30,000-square-foot, $25 million recycling facility “capable of handling all divertible material, including organic waste, for decades to come.” (A video of a presentation made by Recycled Utah on those plans is hosted on YouTube.)

Increased diversion will be necessary even if the county chooses to pay $3 million to expand its landfill, say the plan’s backers. They say MSW and recyclables generation is unlikely to slow down in the resort area, especially with a major event to be hosted on the horizon.

“With a growing community and the 2034 [Winter] Olympics on the horizon, waste management will only become more critical,” writes Recycle Utah on its website. “By improving our diversion practices, we’re not only preserving landfill space but also making a significant impact on our community’s carbon footprint,” adds the organization.