Glossary of Recycling and Solid Waste Facilities

Compost or Other Food Management Facility

These facilities can take a variety of organic materials such as yard trimmings and food waste. Typically, materials are broken down by microorganisms, heat, and time to create a fertilizer. This category also includes anaerobic digestion, where material is broken down by bacteria in the absence of oxygen to create biogas and fertilizer.

Incinerator

Incinerators burn solid waste, sometimes capturing energy for recovery and use.

Land Treatment or Landspreading Facility

These operations apply specific types of solid waste to soils for agricultural benefits. For example, some farmers may apply whey, a dairy byproduct, to soils to increase nitrogen and help crops.

Landfill

Landfills provide a location for safe disposal of solid waste, which protects the environment from contamination. The most common distinctions for waste are municipal solid waste (MSW) received from consumers, industrial waste from manufacturing and other industrial sources, and construction and demolition waste (C&D) waste.

There are several classes of landfills in Utah that define what volume and types of waste can be accepted. The Utah landfill class definitions are summarized below (complete definitions are found in the Utah Code Annotated and the Utah Administrative Code).

Class I Landfill
A non-commercial facility, operated by or under contract with a local government, that is permitted to receive MSW, other non-hazardous waste, and waste from very small quantity generators (VSQG), and may dispose of more than 20 tons of waste per day.
Class II Landfill
A non-commercial facility, operated by or under contract with a local government, that is permitted to receive MSW, other non-hazardous waste, and waste from VSQGs, and may not dispose of more than 20 tons of waste per day.
Class III Landfill
A non-commercial facility which is permitted to receive waste from manufacturing and other industrial sources.
- Class IIIa
  Landfills may receive industrial waste that is non-hazardous or is exempt from hazardous waste regulation, and VSQG waste generated at an industrial facility.
- Class IIIb
  Landfills may not receive waste from a VSQG, and are limited to receiving certain combustion wastes; oil and gas exploration and production wastes; waste from the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of ores and minerals; and other non-hazardous waste that is not categorized as such by exemption.
Class IV Landfill
A non-commercial facility which can receive C&D, yard, and inert waste, as well as dead animals, waste tires with a rim diameter more than 24.5 inches, and petroleum contaminated soils.
- Class IVa
  Landfills may receive waste from VSQGs and may receive more than 20 tons of waste per day.
- Class IVb
  Landfills may not receive more than 20 tons of waste per day, or may exceed 20 tons per day if the landfill prohibits VSQG waste.
Class V Landfill
A commercial facility which is permitted to receive MSW, other non-hazardous waste, and VSQG waste.
Class VI Landfill
A commercial facility which is permitted to receive C&D, yard, and inert waste, waste tires with a rim diameter more than 24.5 inches, and petroleum contaminated soils. These landfills cannot take hazardous waste, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) waste, MSW, or industrial waste.

Recycling Facility

Recycling facilities can vary greatly depending on their area of focus. Generally, a recycling facility recovers useful materials from the solid waste stream and/or transforms the materials to make new products and reduce the amount of virgin raw materials needed to meet consumer demands.

Some recycling facilities receive, sort, and prepare recyclables collected from curbside recycling, eventually selling recyclables to markets for reuse. Other recycling facilities may only collect metals to be shredded or melted down and reused.

Transfer Station

A facility where waste is collected for transport to a solid waste handling or disposal facility, such as a landfill.

Used Oil Collection Center (UOCC)

Used Oil Collection Centers are businesses throughout Utah that serve the community by properly collecting and recycling used motor oil, hydraulic oil, and transmission oil.

Most UOCCs accept used oil from do-it-yourselfers, while some also accept used oil from farmers and businesses. The amount of used oil accepted and from who depends on the UOCC type, which are defined below.

Type A UOCC
Accepts up to 5 gallons of used oil from do-it-yourselfers per visit.
Type B UOCC
Accepts up to 5 gallons of used oil from do-it-yourselfers per visit and up to 55 gallons from farmers per visit.
Type C UOCC
Accepts up to 5 gallons of used oil from do-it-yourselfers per visit and up to 55 gallons from farmers or businesses per visit.
Type D UOCC
Accepts up to 55 gallons of used oil from businesses per visit.

Waste Tire Facility

Waste tire recyclers receive waste tires from landfills and other entities for recycling. Tires are processed through a shredder and new products can be created from the material. The Waste Tire Program monitors waste tire recyclers and transporters.