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Staff says waste diversion and recycling are large, low-cost levers to cut town emissions
Summary
The town’s waste audit and greenhouse‑gas inventory show solid waste is a larger share of emissions than previously estimated; staff cited a county waste audit finding that 41% of landfill materials could be recycled under current systems and recommended paired recycling/trash bins and targeted outreach.
During the sustainability update, Tanya Anderson highlighted new inventory results that attribute a larger portion of community emissions to solid waste than older methods did and underscored recycling and diversion as cost‑effective mitigation steps the town can advance.
Anderson cited a Teton County Integrated Solid Waste and Recycling audit that found "41% of our materials going to the landfill are things that could be recycled or diverted with our current systems," and noted that within town departments staff estimated about a 65% diversion rate (down from past years' ~70%). Anderson described operational steps already underway — pairing recycling bins with trash cans downtown, converting old grey cans to recycling bins and an intern‑led downtown waste audit that identified beverage cups and single‑use containers as predominant items — and recommended continuing public outreach and infrastructure pairing to increase diversion.
Councilors and members of the public supported more aggressive recycling efforts; Councilor Beeman and others asked staff to bring recycling requirements and contractor/site practices back for future consideration. Anderson said staff will return with more detailed recommendations and potential program costs.
