Recycle Utah cordially invites local adults to commemorate Earth Day on Saturday, April 22, at the Wasatch Brew Pub.
The event for ages 21 and older, which will celebrate the work the environmental nonprofit does for sustainability, will feature dinner, drinks and a silent auction, said Addison Marr, Recycle Utah communications and development director.
“This is also the event that kicks off our fundraising year,” she said.
Tickets are $40, and the price includes dinner and two drinks, and a portion of the money goes back to support Recycle Utah. Tickets are available now at recycleutah.org.
“There is no deadline to purchase tickets, and we will have some tickets at the door,” Marr said.
Funds will also be raised through the silent auction, according to Marr, for “items and gift cards from Five5eeds cafe, Scott Sport, Alpine Apothecary and other cool places,” she said.
Auction will go live on Monday on Recycle Utah website, and it will move to in-person during the event, said Marr, who is grateful for the businesses who donated items for the auction.
“I reached out to the businesses just in the past couple of months for donations, and they all showed up,” she said. “I think all of these donations goes to show how special the Park City community is and how we support each other. And these businesses are a wonderful support system for us.”
Since the Earth Day event is still a week away, Marr said she is still accepting donations for the silent auction.
Anyone or any business who would like to donate can email Marr at [email protected].
The goal to raise during this event is $15,000, which will help with the nonprofit’s $600,000 annual budget, according to Marr.
“The money helps us primarily run our recycling services,” she said. “It also helps with our education outreach programs.”
Last year, Recycle Utah Education Director Mary Closser worked with 14 schools in Summit County, where she educated 5,630 students, Marr said.
“Mary teaches the kids about everything from water, waste, climate change and energy to what you can recycle in curbside recycling and what you can bring to the Recycling Center,” she said. “Mary also teaches about natural resources and where materials like plastics and cans come from.”
In addition to student outreach, Recycle Utah also spreads its mission of sustainability to adults through sustainable and compost training, and saving water through the rain barrel program, Marr said.
“We estimated that we have educated 22,000 adults in 2022 through these initiatives,” she said.
In addition to the Earth Day celebration and fundraiser, Recycle Utah has set up other events that help the community learn about and participate in sustainable efforts, Marr said.
• Hazardous Waste Day from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, at the Canyons Cabriolet parking lot, which is made possible through a partnership with Vail Epic Promise and Park City Mountain.
“We’ll collect everything from paint cans and paint to pharmaceuticals and batteries, as well as electronic devices — TVs, monitors, laptops and phones — things that shouldn’t be put in the landfill,” Marr said. “We’ll even collect bikes to be refurbished, and people can drop off mattresses for a $20 fee.”
Recycle Utah will have a team of volunteers on hand to collect the waste.
“That way people can sit in their cars while the volunteers make sure the hazardous waste is properly collected,” Marr said.
The Hazardous Waste Day is specifically for Summit County residents, and will not accept waste from businesses, she said.
• Recycle Utah will also host Green Drinks from 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, at Top Shelf, 6436 N. Business Loop Rd #C.
The event, for ages 21 and older, will feature catering by Rebekah’s Kitchen, Marr said.
“The mission of Green Drinks, which is held every other month, is to educate adults and bring locally and environmentally minded individuals together to mingle and create a sustainable community,” she said.
May’s event will feature Tim Loveday, Summit County Landfill manger, who will discuss garbage and waste, while staff from Spoil to Soil Services and Wasatch Resources Recovery will talk about composting, according to Marr.
“We host Green Drinks at different green businesses in the county,” Marr said.
• Adding to Recycle Utah’s continued fundraising work, the nonprofit will also partner with Park City Brewing on May 3, Marr said.
“We’re working on a program where a portion of the money used in purchasing a drink will benefit Recycle Utah,” she said. “We’re still developing this program, and more information will be posted on our website when it’s all in place.”
In the meantime, the public can continue to drop off its recycling — cardboard, metal, paper, glass and plastics — at Recycle Utah’s bins, 1951 Woodbine Way, 24 hours a day.
Staff is on hand from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sundays, Marr said.