What happens to all those cardboard boxes you toss in the blue bin? What do I do with this can of paint I’ve had for the last fifteen years that I keep saying I’ll use up, but never do? Where do tree clippings and other yard waste go? For many of us, these and many other objects we dispose of seem to vanish once we throw them in the appropriate receptacle. But, like love, hope, and cockroaches, trash never truly vanishes, so waste management is a key component of healthy, happy societies. That’s why the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control (DWMRC), in collaboration with the Utah Geospatial Resource Center (UGRC), have recently published several resources to help you find where to deposit your recyclables and see what the future of waste management in Utah looks like.
These resources include a map, opens in a new tab and dashboard, opens in a new tab that not only help people find landfills, household hazardous waste (HHW) collection centers, and incinerators (you know, for that haunted vase you got from your great uncle that whispers in the night sometimes), but also improve transparency between government agencies and the general public.
These data products are part of a larger effort to improve the way we manage waste in the United States. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, opens in a new tab, the US generated about 4.9 pounds of municipal solid waste (MSW) per person per day in 2018. That’s a lot of cockroaches that will never truly disappear. As we work toward processing waste more efficiently (and producing less in the first place), projects like this one give us a clear understanding of where waste is coming from, where it’s going, and what systems could be improved. So, the next question is, how did we create these data products, and what do they mean for waste management efforts?
Let’s start with the process. Every waste management facility in the state submits reports about the materials they process to DWMRC, which are stored in a SalesForce database. We wrote a Python script to extract these reports, clean the data, transform it into a coherent structure, and calculate metrics that summarize it across the state.
We use the pandas library for data processing and our own palletjack, opens in a new tab library for extracting the data from SalesForce and uploading the processed data to ArcGIS Online. The script runs fully automated in Google Cloud Platform (GCP), keeping the data up-to-date while preventing human error. This process also saves time and money for the State of Utah.
Even if you don’t have a haunted vase from a long-lost relative lying around (perhaps we should all check?), there are plenty of reasons why having access to this data is a good thing. First and foremost, the map shows where you can dispose of any other haunted articles you have in your possession along with regular items such as paint cans, batteries, and furniture. The map also points out recycling centers and has been used by organizations such as the Utah Recycling Alliance, opens in a new tab to help spread awareness about recycling efforts. Just knowing where and how to recycle can help people to actually do it.
Another benefit of this project is transparency. Utahns deserve to know how the government is using their tax dollars to promote effective waste management practices in our state. With these data products, the average person can see important metrics such as the percentage of waste materials that were recycled in Utah and how many gallons of used oil were collected for recycling. Having these metrics publicly available adds an extra layer of accountability for waste management facilities and the State of Utah.
This project is one of many collaborative efforts between UGRC and other state agencies. At UGRC, our mission, opens in a new tab is to “encourage and facilitate the effective use of geospatial information and technology for Utah.” Working with DWMRC to produce these data products is just one of the many ways we advocate for data-driven decision making and public access to geospatial data in Utah.
You can learn more about our other projects on UGRC’s blog and in our quarterly newsletter, opens in a new tab. For more information on waste management in Utah and these data products in particular, please reach out to Jacob Adams from UGRC at jdadams@utah.gov, or Stevie Norcross from DWMRC at stevienorcross@utah.gov.