Recycling & Reuse Guide

When it comes to waste, it can sometimes be difficult to know what goes where. Check out the information below to see how you can start diverting your waste for recycling and reuse locally.

Mixed Recycling:

1. Recycle from your curb! Use your green recycling cart to recycle aluminum and steel cans, paper, plastic bottles and jugs, cardboard, cartons and more!

2. Find a recycling drop-off location near you! There are a number of full-service drop-off sites located around the city where you can recycle your mixed recycling as well as glass.

Glass Recycling:

Glass is NOT accepted curbside in your recycling cart because it contaminates the other recyclables, is dangerous for recycling employees, and is problematic for recycling machinery.

FREE - If you would like to recycle your glass, you can take it to an Omaha recycling drop-off site for free.
PAID - Glassman Recycling & Repurposing offers a fee-based residential, home pick-up glass recycling service to the Omaha metro.

Plastic Bag & Film Recycling:

Did you know that some of the soft/film plastics that CANNOT be recycled in your green curbside recycling cart CAN be recycled using the Wrap Recycling Action Program (WRAP)? Items like plastic grocery bags, plastic film, such as produce bags, dry cleaning bags, and the wrap around paper towels can be recycled at participating retail and grocery stores.

Styrofoam Recycling:

Styrofoam / Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is NOT recyclable in your curbside recycling cart or at a City of Omaha drop-off recycling site. For large pieces of EPS foam like styrofoam coolers and packaging inserts - you can take these items to Plastilite Corporation at 4930 Battlefield Dr in Omaha. They have a convenient EPS recycling collection container outside in front of their building that is accessible 24/7. Items should be reasonably clean and free of all glue, tape, and labels. Only large pieces of #6 EPS foam are accepted. (Please note, the following are NOT accepted at this location: no food service items such as take-out containers or foam cups - even if they are marked #6, no foam peanuts, no foam marked #5).

Hefty® EnergyBag® Program:

Non-recyclable soft/film plastics that CANNOT be recycled by the WRAP Program CAN be placed in the orange Hefty® EnergyBag® as part of an energy recovery process. Items include snack bags, candy wrappers, toothpaste tubes, plastic utensils, and polystyrene (styrofoam) cups, bowls, and take-out containers. When your orange bag is full, tie it up and place it inside your curbside recycling cart along with your mixed recycling. These are the ONLY plastic bags that should ever be placed in your recycling cart. The orange bags are hand sorted at the recycling facility.

Household Chemicals/Hazardous Waste:

Household products like antifreeze, bug spray, fertilizer, motor oil, paint thinner, and weed killer can pose a threat to health, safety, and the environment when improperly discarded. Douglas & Sarpy County residents can dispose of these toxic waste items at the UnderTheSink facility near 120th & I Streets for free.

Photographed by shottofill for Hillside Solutions

Composting:

FREE - There are many different ways to compost - check out these helpful resources from the EPA to begin composting at home!
PAID - Hillside Solutions offers a subscription-based composting drop-off service called the Compost Club. This program takes stuff you can’t compost at home, like meat, dairy, bones, pet waste (with restrictions), paper towels, compostable take-out stuff, etc. Join the Compost Club and gain access to a network of drop-off sites around the Omaha metro.

Recycling & Reuse Guide:

Some items cannot be recycled in your curbside recycling cart or taken to a City of Omaha recycling drop-off site, however, there may be other options for recycling or reuse. Keep Omaha Beautiful has created a Recycling & Reuse Guide to provide information and resources for diverting special waste items for recycling or reuse in Omaha.

Check out the list below for information and resources for diverting waste items for recycling or donation in Omaha. Please note that it is not an exhaustive list. Additionally, Keep Omaha Beautiful does not officially endorse any of the companies noted below.

If you have any comments on how to improve this Recycling & Reuse Guide and/or suggestions on resource listings to add, please contact us.