EPA awards $3.4M grant to expand waste management in Davis County

LAYTON — A round of grants intended to boost waste disposal and recycling efforts has been awarded to more than a dozen recipients in communities across the country, including in Utah.

Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District in Layton was selected to receive over $3.4 million in Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grants to help improve post-consumer materials management and infrastructure, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in a press release on Monday.

Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District is a special service district comprising Davis and Morgan county municipalities that share resources for waste disposal and recycling.

The facility was among 17 local governments chosen to receive the funding; more than 300 applications were submitted from agencies throughout the country, in hopes of securing a share of $58 million in grants through the program.

“We started our grant process almost five years ago. They released the initial (Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling) grant awards in 2023, and then they reallocated the next phase of grants, and we applied for those in 2024,” Preston Lee, executive director at Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District, told KSL.com on Friday.

Lee said Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District already has big plans for the $3.4 million.

There are five components, or tasks, that the Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District stated in its application that it will work on:

 

• Expanding composting capacity by enlarging the aerated static pile composting pad, which was built in 2012 and is at full capacity.
• Increasing and enhancing curbside organic composting services, with the hope of implementing it in two new cities that currently don’t have the service and enhancing current cities’ service.
• Broadening education and outreach efforts to residents within current, and or future member cities for its organic collections service. Lee said the goal is to educate residents on what materials can and cannot be placed in curbside bins. “Not a lot of people understand what we’re looking for when we just say organics. Does that mean food scraps? Does that mean just tree branches? Does that mean grass clippings? So we want to make sure that that message is clear and understandable for our residents,” Lee said.
• Implementing technology on collection vehicles that can detect contamination, “so cameras and maybe some artificial intelligence that will look at the material as it’s dropping into the trucks and highlight or point out the contamination that’s in there,” Lee explained.
• Establishing baseline waste diversion rates through periodic monitoring during the contamination detection pilot programs.

Ultimately, Lee said the project aims to reduce emissions, divert waste from landfills, and promote a more circular economy.

“I am grateful for the EPA’s commitment to empowering local governments like Davis County to lead with innovation in all aspects – even our waste,” Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, said in a statement about the grant.

“This grant will help the Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District invest in our community through enhanced compost education and collection, and I look forward to seeing this grant’s positive impact throughout Davis County,” said Moore, who represents the area.

Lee said the project is expected start in 2026, with the goal of having all of the tasks implemented within three years.

“A lot of the reporting tasks will be done in that third year; most of the construction will be in the first and second year,” he said.

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Other stories on Utah’s waste management:

• Utah recycling is improving, according to Waste Management
• Some resorts are adopting wastewater for snowmaking. Could Utah ski resorts follow suit?