Salt Lake to push recycling and reducing garbage

Salt Lake City is expanding its sanitation services to promote recycling, reduce the amount of garbage in the city's landfill and provide residents with more choices and flexibility in managing household waste.

Salt Lake City residents can now sign up to recycle yard waste and obtain smaller garbage containers. Service for both programs will begin in March 2008. Property owners in Salt Lake may sign up at www.slcwaste.com or return the completed postage-prepaid notice being mailed to them.

The yard-waste recycling program will allow residents to easily recycle lawn clippings, tree branches, weeds, leaves and other yard debris in a dedicated 90-gallon container and rolling it to the curbside to be emptied on the regular scheduled garbage day.

Yard waste is delivered to the landfill recycling center, where it is processed into high-quality mulch that may be purchased for a small fee and used to improve gardens and landscaping. This recycling process will allow residents to reduce the amount of waste deposited in their weekly garbage container, which may enable residents to purchase a smaller container.

Residents will have three choices of containers — 90, 60 and 40 gallons. The 90-gallon garbage container will cost $11.25 per month; the 60-gallon container will be $9.25; and the 40-gallon container will cost $8.25.

A 90-gallon yard waste container will cost $3.50 per month. A 90-gallon recycling container will be available for no additional fee.