The Moab Difference.Every city has different ways of handling recycling, from municipal single-stream curbside pick-up to resident funded community non-profit multi-stream systems.
It is important to know how recycling is handled in any location you are in to maximize the ability of the system to serve your needs. Read more below about how specific materials are handled in Moab. |
Aluminum
What is this? Aluminum cans and bottles only. Please empty all liquid and rinse. No aluminum foil or pie plates.
Where can this be recycled? At the Community Recycle Center. Check the magnet at the CRC. If it’s aluminum, it won’t stick. If it’s tin/steel, it will! Tin/Steel has its own collection bin. Facts & Info: Aluminum loses no quality during recycling and can recycled forever. Recycling aluminum saves more than 90 percent of the energy that would be needed to create a comparable amount of the metal from raw materials. Tossing away an aluminum can wastes as much energy as pouring out half of that can’s volume of gasoline. |
Tin/Steel Cans
What is this? Tin/Steel cans like soup and bean cans. Cans should be rinsed with lids placed or folded inside cans. For bonus points remove paper labels and recycle those with mixed paper. Metal lids from glass jars and bottles can be placed with the tin/steel cans.
Due to safety concerns, do not place aerosol cans or propane canisters in with the tin cans. Ask staff about those. Where can this be recycled? At the Community Recycle Center. Check the magnet at the CRC. If it’s tin, it’ll stick! If it’s aluminum, it won’t. Facts & Info: Steel is North America’s #1 recycled material. Each year, more steel is recycled in the US than paper, plastic, aluminum and glass combined. While many materials have to be “downcycled” into lesser products, steel can be continuously recycled without a loss of quality into any common steel product such as cars, appliances, construction materials or other steel cans. |
#1 Plastic
![]() What is this? Clear, rigid plastic such as bottles (water, soda, juice, mouthwash, salad dressing) and jars (peanut butter, jam). All #1 plastic should be clean and free from food residue. Lids may be left on empty, clean bottles. Plastic bags, wraps or films cannot be recycled even if they have the recycling symbol on them. Clean plastic film can be recycled at City Market.
As of June of 2018 plastic clamshell packages that are labeled as #1 plastic are no longer accepted at the recycling center. You will see this symbol somewhere on the item: Where can this be recycled? At the Community Recycle Center. Facts & Info: If thrown away, plastic will take up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill. Recycling plastic takes 88% less energy than making plastic from raw materials. Unfortunately, only about 25% of the plastic produced in the U.S. is recycled. If we recycled the other 75% we could save 1 billion gallons of oil and 44 million cubic yards of landfill space annually. SOURCE: Recycling Coalition of Utah (RCU) See information from their site below: One ton of recycled plastic saves:
Plastic takes up to 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill. Recycling plastic takes 88% less energy than making plastic from raw materials. Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the Earth four times. Americans throw away 35 billion plastic bottles every year. Only about 25% of the plastic produced in the U.S. is recycled. If we recycled the other 75% we could save 1 billion gallons of oil and 44 million cubic yards of landfill space annually. Using aluminum or glass containers is always preferable over plastic. A plastic bottle of drinking water contains on average 4 cents worth of water. By using reusable drink containers an average person can eliminate the need for 100 disposable bottles per year. |
#2 Plastic
![]() What is this? Opaque plastic milk jugs and solid "rainbow" #2s. Collected by type in separate containers at the center. Empty all liquids, remove lids and rinse.
You will see this symbol somewhere on the item: Where can this be recycled? At the Community Recycle Center. Facts & Info: Recycled #2 plastics can be made into bottles for non-food items like shampoo, laundry detergent, motor oil, plastic lumber and furniture, piping, recycling bins, fencing, floor tiles, buckets, crates, flower pots, garden edging, film and sheeting. SOURCE: https://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/store/common_plastics_no_1_to_no_7# |
![]() #5 Plastic (such as yogurt/butter tubs, prescription bottles) currently being accepted at the Recycle Center.
Plastic NOT Accepted by the Recycle Center - #3, #4, #6 and #7 #1, both types of #2's, and #5 have good domestic markets. But because #3, #4, #6, and #7 plastics have no market in the USA, the CRC is not accepting them at this time. When the valueless plastics are collected by waste haulers through a single stream recycle program, they are landfilled or sent to Asian countries where they are causing great damage to local environments. #3-#7 plastics are no longer being accepted at the recycling center. Moab Solutions advises throwing these in the trash rather than placing them in the single stream bin. From the single stream bin, they usually end up being landfilled, or sent away to countries that don't want them. Where can this be recycled? Facts & Info: #3-#7 plastics were primarily recycled in China. In 2012, China enacted stronger regulations on the types of waste that is legal to import. Since that time, it has become more difficult to find recycling opportunities for these types of plastics. In addition, after China refused these items, they were shipped to many other Asian countries. Many of these countries are now rejecting these plastics as they cause great environmental harm. |
Newspaper
What is this? Newspaper and all inserts that come with the newspaper.
Where can this be recycled? At the Community Recycle Center. Facts & Info: Recycling a stack of newspaper just 3 feet high saves one tree. About 67% of newspaper used in the US was recovered for recycling in 2013. SOURCE: https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/paper/web/html/faqs.html#times AND http://www.recycleacrossamerica.org/recycling-facts |
Office Paper
What is this? Copy paper and envelopes. Shredded paper is accepted, but please contact the Solid Waste District if you are dropping off a large amount so they can plan for proper storage. No folders and catalogs, those can be recycled with mixed paper.
Where can this be recycled? At the Community Recycle Center. Please separate from mixed paper. Facts & Info: Besides easily recognizable paper products (e.g., writing paper or paper towels), more than 5,000 products can be made from recycled paper including masking tape, paper money, globes, bandages, dust masks, hospital gowns, coffee filters, lamp shades, car insulation, animal bedding, planting pots for seedlings and egg cartons. SOURCE: https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/paper/web/html/faqs.html#times |
Cardboard
What is this? Corrugated cardboard. Boxes should be broken down with excess packing tape ripped off and all packaging materials removed. No heavily waxed cardboard. Paperboard (like cereal boxes) can be recycled with mixed paper. Where can this be recycled? At the Community Recycle Center. Facts & Info: In the United States, paper products are made from three primary sources: recycled paper (33%), wood chips and scraps from sawmills (33%), and whole trees and other plants (33%). In 2013, about 89% of corrugated cardboard used in the US was recovered for recycling. SOURCE: https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/paper/web/html/faqs.html#times |
Mixed Fiber Paper
What is this? Paperboard (like cereal boxes), egg cartons (non-styrofoam), magazines/catalogues, wrapping paper, brown paper bags, paper towel & toilet paper rolls, hardcover and paperback books, receipts, phone books, jigsaw puzzles and junk mail. NO waxy containers like milk cartons and ice cream containers.
Stop Getting Junk Mail - sign up to stop receiving bulk mail. Where can this be recycled? At the Community Recycle Center. . Facts & Info: For every ton of paper that is recycled, 17 trees, 275 lbs of sulfur, 350 lbs of limestone, 9,000 lbs of steam, 60,000 gallons of water, 225 kilowatt hours of electricity and 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space are saved. |
Glass
What is this? Glass bottles and jars of all colors. (NO ceramics, porcelain or oven safe glass such as Pyrex.)
Where can this be recycled? All colors of glass are accepted at the Community Recycle Center. Glass is currently being shipped to Salt Lake City for recycling with Momentum Recycling. They process the glass and sell it to Owens Corning. They make insulation with the green and clear glass. Brown is used for other purposes.. Please note: glass should be separated by color and deposited in one of the three collection boxes for glass. Brown, Green, (Blue can go with green), and clear. Lids should be removed, and metal lids can be recycled with tin. |
Electronic Waste and Fluorescent Lightbulbs
What is this? The Community Recycle Center will accept almost anything that plugs in or runs on batteries, with the exception of air conditioners, refrigerators and other appliances that contain freon. Freon containing devices can be taken to the Transfer Station. There is a fee for safe removal of these toxic fluids. Batteries and fluorescent light bulbs will also be accepted. For the complete list of acceptable materials, click here.
Where and when can these items be recycled? Tuesday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm and Saturday 8 am to noon at the Community Recycle Center. The latest rate sheet and items accepted can be found here. Please note that some new items are being accepted. At this time the District can only accept cash or checks. Facts & Info: This event is coordinated with TAMS through our broker, Interwest Paper out of Salt Lake City. TAMS can guarantee that all electronics are demanufactured here in the US, by US workers, and that no hazardous components will be shipped abroad. You can rest assured that TAMS strives for a zero waste facility and all items are recycled responsibly. |
Unusual/Hard to Recycle Materials
What is this? Many items that are not accepted by the Community Recycle Center can be recycled through other avenues. These items include: Automobiles, batteries, car batteries, rechargeable batteries, alkaline batteries, bikes and bike parts, books, cell phones & tablets, compost, eyeglasses, food, household hazardous waste, light bulbs, medications, metal scrap, motor oil, packing materials , paint, plant pots, plastic shopping bags, thrift stores & resale, tires, used inkjet, toner, and printer cartridges, and yard waste.
Where can this be recycled? These items can each be recycled through different organizations and initiatives in Moab. A complete list and more detailed information is available on our "Solutions" page. |
Materials That Cannot Be Recycled In Moab
The following things CANNOT be recycled in Moab through the Community Recycle Center:
- Styrofoam generally cannot be recycled in Moab. When styrofoam is thrown away, it will never break down in the landfill. Styrofoam packing peanuts can be taken to the Canyonlands Copy Center (375 S Main St. - 435-259-8432) for reuse. Styrofoam can be recycled through Rocky Mountain Recycling at locations throughout the state, but not in Moab. List of locations can be found here: www.rockymountainrecycling.com/locations
- As of June 2018 the following items are no longer being accepted at the recycling center: #1 Plastic Clamshell Packaging, #3, #4, #6, and #7 Plastic.