S.L. County seeks to spur recycling

Salt Lake County is pushing its young recycling program, trying to get more people to participate.

Currently, more than 14,000 households are enrolled in the program, which began in 2002. That's 18 percent of the 76,000 households in the unincorporated county — Taylorsville, Cottonwood Heights, Holladay and Herriman — the areas served by the county's sanitation district.

The 95-gallon recycling containers are collected every other week on the normal garbage collection day.

"Our goal is to reach 23 to 25 percent participation," County Mayor Peter Corroon said. "This program is proving to be very popular because it saves natural resources and energy, is very convenient and ultimately helps our communities."

To reach Corroon's goal, during the next two months county sanitation workers are distributing fliers to nonparticipating households reintroducing the program. As an incentive, people who sign up this spring will be entered in a drawing for one free year in the recycling program.

The winner will be announced on Earth Day, April 23.

Monthly recycling fees are $3 per container, $1.50 for a second, with a minimum 12-month commitment. New participants are required to sign a recycling agreement form and prepay the first 12 months. Call 562-6435 for more information.

Newspapers, cardboard, plastics, aluminum, tin and paper can all be recycled. County sanitation district residents recycled 5,000 tons of such stuff in 2004 with a 4 percent contamination rate (non-recyclables mixed in), compared to 25 percent in similar but mandatory programs.