As food waste decomposes in the landfill, it produces methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas and major contributor to climate change. In Summit County, food waste makes up nearly one-third of the material sent to the landfill. This is a concern not only for the environment, but also for local taxp ayers. Landfills are sectioned off into areas called cells, which are large pits lined with material to prevent leachate and other contaminants from seeping into the ground. Building a new cell in Summit County costs about $3 million, and our landfill is quickly running out of space for additional cells. Once our landfill reaches capacity, we will be forced to transport our waste elsewhere, significantly increasing disposal costs. That is why it is incredibly important to divert as much material from the landfill as possible, and food waste is one of the easiest places to start. Recycle Utah offers free food waste collection, allowing people to drop off a wide variety of organic materials, from chicken bones and eggshells to candy, bread and other food scraps. Summit County residents can also sign up for curbside food waste collection through Momentum Recycling, which picks up food waste directly from your home once a week. Momentum Recycling hauls food waste collected at Recycle Utah to Wasatch Resource Recovery, an anaerobic digester in North Salt Lake. There, the food waste is placed into an enclosed, oxygen-free tank where microorganisms break it down into biogas and biosolids. The biosolids are processed into fertilizer, and the biogas is refined into natural gas, which goes into the Dominion Energy pipeline and is used to power homes throughout the state. Recycle Utah, your community nonprofit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information — www.recycleutah.org. The post Green Tips: Where does food waste go? appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less