History of the Program:
In our mission to help move the community towards zero waste, Momentum Recycling conducted a 3-month pilot program for residential food waste collection to 100 residents of Salt Lake City from November 2021 – February 2022. The program was made possible thanks to a generous donation from Intermountain Healthcare.
After surveying program participants, the overwhelming response was that residents loved it! – They also provided invaluable feedback related to the size of the containers provided, collection frequency, acceptable materials, and other suggestions for improving the program going forward.
Thanks to the success of the pilot program, the service will continue to be offered in the Liberty Park area of Salt Lake City initially and will roll out to additional cities as we work to expand the program. Eligible residents can select one of the weekly service options detailed below.
Program Overview
Turn your food waste into energy.
Using specially designed trucks, we transport your food waste to the Wasatch Resource Recovery facility in North Salt Lake to be processed.
Biogas is captured in an anaerobic digester & purified before it is converted into renewable natural gas and fed into the municipal gas pipeline, which then will supply a sustainable energy source for approximately 15,000 households! – The remaining byproduct is a nutrient-rich, carbon-based fertilizer used by local farms to grow crops.
Photo of Salt Lake County Landfill
Won’t it decompose in the landfill?
– Nope.
Food does not break down in a landfill because it lacks the oxygen + water necessary for decomposition. A single head of lettuce can take up to 25-years to decompose in a landfill! When it does, it emits methane, a greenhouse gas 23% stronger than carbon dioxide. Food waste at the landfill also emits ammonia, which has proven to be a major contributor to Salt Lake City’s winter inversions.
What food waste is accepted?
Our scrape-the-plate service allows you to simply empty all food waste into a single bin: no messy sorting required! All types of food waste are accepted, including packaged & prepared food, fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, and fats, oils & grease.
Click here to view acceptable items.
About the Service
Service Details:
♲ Weekly Collection
We collect your food waste on the same day each week.
♲ Month-to-Month
No contract: you can cancel service at any time.
♲ Pickup Reminders
Select a reminder notification or download our app.
Who can participate?
This map indicates the current service area: households must be located within these boundaries to participate.
- Not in the service area? – Please submit your interest below to help expand the food waste recycling service to your neighborhood.
Service Options
4-Gallon Bucket
16-Gallon Cart
Submit Your Interest
This is where YOU can help!
Please complete the survey below to help us better understand your interest in this service.
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