Green waste no longer to be collected separately from trash in Orem

OREM, Utah — People who live in Orem City won’t get their green waste collected anymore. 

The city wants to combine its regular waste collection with its green collection. Representatives argued for the positives of no longer collecting green waste at an Orem city council meeting earlier this month. 

Blake Leonelli with Waste Management spoke at the city council meeting on March 9. Leonelli revealed the plans to discontinue the individual collection of green bins.

Customers are now encouraged to use the black bins instead. 

Waste Management made the monthly price of green bins, as a secondary bin, lower than the monthly price of black bins. This strategy avoids the unnecessary trashing of green bins amid the policy changes at Waste Management. 

Leonelli says the North Pointe Processing Plant, where Orem’s green trash goes, does not currently have a large demand for compost.

He also says that renewable energy opportunities become available when combining waste collection: When brought to the landfill, the compost decomposes and produces methane.

Other benefits include more space in trucks, less labor work, and less depreciation of the roads.