This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The International Bottled Water Association says two new studies suggest nearly one-third of bottled water containers are being recycled.
The 2009 rate — 31 percent — is up only slightly from the previous year's 30.9 percent. But the upward trend is continuing, the association noted, pointing to a 16.62 percent increase from 2004, the year the analysis began. About 25 percent of the plastic in PET bottles comes from this recycled material.
What's the rate in Utah?
There's no way to know, said Ashlee Yoder.
"In Utah recycling is voluntary," said Yoder, who coordinates recycling programs for Salt Lake County.
"We are increasing our rates," she added, "but we have not been able to achieve anything close to those [national] rates."
One issue is that neither Utah nor the Salt Lake Valley has a standardized method for determining recycling rates. And without standardized reporting, there is no way to track how Utahns are doing, she said.
Judy Fahys