Midvale NextGen students pitch 'Zero Waste Utah 2034' plan to city council

Midvale City Council members on April 15 heard a presentation from the mayor’s NextGen youth council proposing a local contribution to ‘‘Zero Waste Utah 2034,’’ a statewide public–private effort the students say would double recycling rates ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympic Games and expand long-term recycling capacity in Utah.

The student presenter, Vitalia Sun, summarized the proposal’s three pillars: expand the public collection network (drop-off points at schools, grocery stores and other civic sites), increase local processing capacity for recyclable materials, and launch an education campaign targeting elementary schools and broader media outreach. “If we educate younger generations about recycling, how to do it, why to do it, where to do it, once they grow older recycling can be a second nature,” Vitalia Sun said.

Why it matters: The students said Utah ranks in the lower half of states for recycling of common containers and packages and that the Olympics present an opportunity to showcase improved environmental performance. The council acknowledged the proposal overlaps city priorities: Midvale already operates a solid-waste program and has been reviewing policy changes to increase recycling access.

Details and local context: The students highlighted examples and research they used while drafting the proposal. Vitalia said she looked at local programs in Washington state for glass buy‑back/drop‑off models and urged more convenient collection at day‑to‑day destinations. She proposed increasing local processing capacity so materials do not need to be shipped out of state, which could create local jobs and economic benefit. The students also proposed a statewide education component to embed recycling habits in children through school curricula.

Council response and next steps: Council members praised the presentation; one councilor asked whether students had researched the market demand for processed materials and the students acknowledged they had not done extensive international market analysis. Mayor Dustin Gettle and staff thanked the students and presented recognition pins and certificates. Council members said the idea aligned with earlier council efforts to adjust city recycling policy and indicated staff would review where elements of the proposal could fit into current solid-waste planning. No formal action or funding decision was taken at the meeting.

Voices from the program: Vanessa (NextGen program staff) told the council the cohort completed multiple projects this cycle, including a youth mural and a youth resource fair; she said the late contribution of Elijah Bustamante Martinez — a recently deceased NextGen member honored earlier in the meeting — was significant to the mural work. Student Zaira Sayed described how visiting municipal facilities and touring the police and fire stations changed her perspective about careers in city government.

What’s next: The presentation served as an informational briefing; staff said certificates and pins would be delivered and that the council and city staff would continue to consider how the students’ policy ideas could be folded into city recycling and outreach work.