Resources For Recycling In Omaha, Nebraska

Many communities want to be environmentally friendly. One of the best ways to do that is by using local recycling resources. Omaha, Nebraska is one community that understands that importance of having a recycling program available for their residents.

Omaha residents are provided with a green bin for their recycling. Several different types of items are picked up through the resources provided by Omaha's curbside recycling program. All recyclable items, though, go into the same container. One type of item picked up through Omaha's recycling program is plastic. This includes liter pop bottles with a 1 or 2 on them, milk jugs, shampoo bottles, and other similar plastic containers. Yet, not all plastic can be recycled through the resources provided by Omaha's curbside recycling program. For example, plastic bags, frozen food trays, and plastic cookware cannot be recycled through the recycling program. Residents are asked to smash all plastic containers before putting them in the recycling bin.

Paper is another category for which Omaha residents can use the city's curbside recycling resources. Magazines, paperback novels, computer paper, tissue boxes, newspapers, and paper sacks are among the items the curbside recycling program will accept in the residential recycling bins. Yet, pizza boxes, tissue paper, napkins, ice cream containers, and wallpaper are among the types of paper not accepted in Omaha's curbside recycling program. Customers are asked to smash all paper boxes before putting them in the recycling bins.

The city also has resources to allow for recycling of metal in the curbside recycling program. The key to metal recycling is that the items need to be empty and clean before being put in the recycling bin. Aerosol cans, metal paint cans, pop cans, and empty canned food cans are accepted through the curbside recycling program. Out dated license plates are even accepted through the program although you are encouraged to destroy or manipulate them before putting them in the recycling bin. Unfortunately, the city does not have the resources to allow for recycling of scrap metal, auto parts, or aluminum foil. Citizens are also asked not put paint cans that are made of plastic or paint cans that are not empty in their recycling container.

For customers who are unsure about what resources can and cannot be recycled through Omaha's recycling program, it is a good idea to contact the City of Omaha Waste Management Team. Most items are also on the city's website to help customers know what items are recyclable through the city and what items are not able to be recycled through the city's curbside recycling program. Because non-recyclable items can contaminate other items, if in doubt, just put it in your trash.

Citizens are asked to place their recycling bin a few feet away from garbage and yard waste containers. All recycling should be put at the collection point by 6 am. Yet, for citizens who miss their pick-up day, they can call the recycling center and get their recycling picked-up at a later point. This must be done, though, after 7 pm on collection day. Some people might be disappointed to learn that the city recycling program does not have the resources to allow for glass recycling. Glass can still be recycled, though, by dropping it off at one of several drop-off sites throughout the city.