Nonprofit asks skiers to dispose of environmentally unfriendly ski wax

PARK CITY, Utah — Recycle Utah urged Park City skiers this month to drop off their fluoro ski wax after the city detected chemicals in its groundwater. 

In a Facebook post at the beginning of the month, Recycle Utah said that a type of chemical, PFAS, was found in Park City ground and wastewater.

Fluorocarbon ski wax is the likely culprit, according to the post.

According to Recycle Utah, PFAS degrade over time and can be found in a variety of products. It’s used in ski wax because it helps increase speed.

The EPA says PFAS can stay in the body for long periods of time which could pose certain health risks and can spread into the environment

Recycle Utah says it’s been phased out in recent years but they think there is still a lot of the wax in the community

The risk is low but locals, visitors, and shop owners are encouraged to drop off their fluoro waxes at Recycle Utah and use greener alternatives.

 

Anyone wanting to dispose of their fluoro wax can do so from now until April 15, 2023.

Related: Avalanche safety should be on everyone’s mind says forecaster