The Tribe has made great improvements in solid waste management over the past years. The Towaoc Community currently has a residential trash collection and a transfer station for self-hauled waste and recycling bin. White Mesa Community has a recycling bin at the Education Department.  This system has greatly reduced the waste in the community and diverted solid waste out of the landfills.

The Tribe's effort to divert solid waste started to show remarkable result. From January to December of 2010, Ute Mountain Casino's recycling bins, which receives corrugulated cardboard and mixed paper from the Casino and Travel Center, diverted 8.31 tons of recyclables. The best part was that nothing except some wet papers that needed to be discarded (unfortunately heavy rain in November somehow collected in the bin) were landfilled due to contamination. This is a significant amount.

Still needed is greater community awareness and involvement in the areas of reducing solid waste hazards through source reduction and recycling and hazards of improper and indiscriminate disposing of solid wastes, including a community system of trash receptacles in public places. The Environmental Programs Department (EPD) is dedicated to improving our collection, transportation, storage, and disposal of solid waste.

UMUT Solid Waste Management Plan was created to improve disposal methods.

Services Provided:

Spring Cleanup

Every year, around the Earth Day the EPD provides a Spring Cleanup in Towaoc and White Mesa. Broken and/or unwanted items, including furniture, yard waste, construction debris, and other household waste are collected and dropped in designated landfills free of charge to all Tribal members.  Clean Up Safety Tips

E-waste Collection and Disposal

Twice a year, usually in April and in October, the EPD providess E-waste Recycling. Broken and unwanted electronic waste, including computer harddrives, monitors, scanners, printers, phones, copiers, VHS/DVD players and TVs are collected and taken to the Montezuma County's landfill for safe and proper disposal, free of charge to all Tribal members.