PARK CITY, Utah — The Park City Community Foundation (PCCF) is working hard to reduce food waste in Summit County. In June 2024, they kicked off the Zero Food Waste program, aiming to eliminate all food waste in Park City by 2030.
According to Andy Hecht, the climate fund manager at PCCF, food in landfills causes major problems. Instead of breaking down into soil, it rots and releases methane—a powerful greenhouse gas that harms our environment and contributes to climate change. Plus, rotting food takes up valuable landfill space.
With the Zero Food Waste program, residents can request a special bin from Momentum Recycling for compostable waste. Once filled, the bin is collected and taken to a digester, where the food waste is transformed into natural gas or compost.
The community has embraced this initiative. Since June, around 800 bins have been distributed, leading to significant savings at the landfill. Tim Loveday, the solid waste superintendent for Summit County, estimates that the program has already saved the landfill nearly $100,000. So far, this effort has also cut out 18.1 tons of methane from entering the atmosphere. “If we reach our goal of zero food waste by 2030, we could double the life of the landfill,” he noted. “That’s important for everyone in the community.”
For its success, the Zero Food Waste program received the Smith’s Zero Waste Hero award in January. Hecht is hopeful that this initiative will inspire similar programs in other areas of the state.
To learn more about the Zero Food Waste program, check out their website.
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