Trash Talk: West Jordan’s Recycling Guide

Are you ever confused about what you can and cannot put in your recycling can? *26% of us are!

Let's erase the confusion.

What DOES NOT go in your curbside recycling can!

Not all ♻️ symbols are processed by our ACE facility.

These things might seem like they are ok in a recycling can, but they aren't! They also might be acceptable in other cities or states, but not with ACE.

• Garbage bags hold trash! Don't put your recyclables in a garbage bag.
• Plastic grocery bags - Take these back to your local market for recycling. These will wrap around the equipment and the facility has to shut down just to pull them out.
• Coated paper cartons - Almond milk, oat milk, and ready-to-drink protein shake cartons.
• Wet or greasy cardboard - This means pizza boxes! If the lid is clean, tear it off and recycle that part only.
• Disposable cups - Solo cups and takeout containers may have a recycle symbol, but ACE doesn't process these.
• Hardcover books - They're paper, but they also have glue, plastic, and fabric that make them hard to recycle.
• Shredded paper - Too small to sort. Compost it or put it in the trash.
• Napkins and paper towels - These are usually dirty and can't be recycled.
• Pet food bags - These have plastic coatings and cannot be recycled.
• Glass - Take these to one of the three bins we have in the city.
• Clothing - Donate old clothing, recycle with TerraCycle, or toss it in the trash.
• Drink pouches - Made from mixed materials that can't be pulled apart for recycling.
• Chip bags - The plastic and metallic layers make these too difficult to recycle curbside.
• Styrofoam (polystyrene) - Gets crushed and makes a mess. It can dirty a whole load.
• Vinyl - Cannot be processed through standard curbside recycling programs.
• Plastic utensils - Too small, and made from plastics that ACE's process doesn't accept.

Why can't ACE just sort it out and clean it?

There aren't enough workers to sort through every piece of material to make sure it's all acceptable. If a load has too much trash, the whole load, even the good stuff, will end up in the landfill.

What DOES GO in the recycling can!

• Paper - Mail, newspapers, magazines, copy paper, and paperboard packaging.
• Plastic bottles and jugs (#1 and #2 plastics) - Water bottles, milk jugs, detergent jugs, and condiment bottles. EMPTY. RINSE. DRY.
• Metal food and beverage cans - EMPTY. RINSE. DRY.
• Cardboard - Clean, dry, and flat.

Pro-Tip: Keep it dry, even from the rain! If the paper and cardboard get wet, the material breaks down and is harder to reuse.

How We Are Doing

West Jordan is the second cleanest recycler among nearby cities - something to be proud of! But 26.51% contamination means about 1 in 4 cans has trash mixed in. Not every can, but enough that we can do better.

One of the biggest contaminants is plastic bags! Don't bag your recycling! A plastic bag might have a recycle ♻️ symbol on it, but our recycling facility doesn't take care of those! Take those to the grocery store for recycling!

What West Jordan Recycles the Most

Cardboard 54%

Paper 6.8%

PET plastics 4.07%

Special Recycling

Some things don't belong in the recycling or in the trash!

Plastic Bags

Grocery bags and bubble wrap, etc cannot be put into your regular recycling bin. The material is too thin and can get caught in the machinery and stall the whole process. Plastic bags are best returned to a grocery store recycling bin.

Glass

Glass can be recycled endlessly! And it's 100% reusable, so every bottle gets broken down without any material loss.

Glass is an exception to a lot of the recycling rules. You do NOT need to sort by color, remove labels or rinse out glass containers. Glass is separated by color at the facility, and they have machines that remove the labels, lids and dirt.

What does not belong in the glass recycling: light bulbs, Pyrex, windows and mirrors, ceramics

Take your glass to one of the three bins in West Jordan, or look for one on this map: https://utah.momentumrecycling.com/recycling-services-homes/#dropoff

Gene Fullmer Fitness & Recreation Center

8015 S 2200 W

West Jordan UT 84088

Ron Wood Park

5900 W New Bingham Highway

West Jordan, UT 84081

Veterans Memorial Park

1985 W 7800 S

West Jordan, UT 84088

Batteries need to be disposed of properly or there is a risk of fire.

All battery types:

• Alkaline
• Lithium-ion
• Rechargeable
• Car batteries

Where to Recycle: https://www.acedisposal.com/batteries/

Electronics

Computers, tablets and phones may contain lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, phosphorus or lithium. If these chemicals make it to the landfill, they can leak into the ground and mix with the water we drink!

Where to Recycle: https://www.acedisposal.com/electronic-recycling/

Chemicals

Gasoline, car battery fluid, antifreeze, oil, and other household chemicals do not belong in the landfill. It's a fire hazard and explosion waiting to happen.

Where to Recycle: https://www.acedisposal.com/chemicals/