Resident urges county to secure interim and long‑term recycling site to preserve Recycle Utah services

A Park City resident urged the Summit County Council on Aug. 13 to take immediate steps to identify and fund an interim recycling facility and to commit to building a long‑term modern recycling center to preserve local recycling services.

Katie Kinnear, who identified herself as a Park City resident with professional experience in waste and recycling technology, told the council Recycle Utah — a local nonprofit resource conservation organization — has been asked to vacate its current site by Sept. 1, 2026, and that recycling operations would stop by June 30, 2026 if a new location is not secured. “After 35 years of unwavering service, Recycle Utah, our beloved resource conservation nonprofit, has been asked to leave its current site by 09/01/2026,” Kinnear said.

Kinnear said Recycle Utah diverts more than 3,500,000 pounds of material from landfill each year, accepts 45 material types free of charge from residents, and lacks funds to build necessary infrastructure for a new facility. She urged the council to identify an interim site that would maintain current operations and to commit to a modern facility using a hub‑and‑spoke plan that could raise diversion rates to 24% in the near term and to 35%–50% with additional investment.

Kinnear said closing Recycle Utah’s operations would increase landfill loads and long‑term costs for residents; she asked the council to coordinate with city councils and regional partners to keep local recycling services operating. The council thanked Kinnear for her comments and acknowledged the urgency she expressed; no formal council action on the item was recorded in the meeting minutes.