The Park City Community Foundation is taking steps to eliminate food waste from the Summit County landfill. In June 2024, the foundation began its Zero Food Waste program. Its goal is to divert all of Park City’s food waste by the year 2030. 鈥淲e look at issues when we are trying to solve the greatest challenges in our community,鈥 said Andy Hecht, the climate fund manager at the Park City Community Foundation.
Food in landfills is problematic for several reasons. 鈥淚t does not turn into soil inside a landfill,鈥 Hecht described. 鈥淚t sits there and it rots for years and years and emits methane 鈥 a potent greenhouse gas.鈥 Methane is harmful to the environment and contributes to climate change. Food waste also takes up valuable space.
Through the Zero Food Waste program, Park City residents can request a special bin from Momentum Recycling in which they can discard compostable items. Then, it is picked up and transported to a digester where it can be converted into natural gas or compost.