 In April, I attended the Omaha Climate Resiliency Summit at Creighton University hosted by Conservation Nebraska. During the “Waste Management Resiliency” breakout session, Danielle Easdale, then Director of Sales and Marketing at First Star Recycling, (Omaha’s recycling center), invited the audience to tour the First Star Recycling facilities and witness their recycling processes. I was struck by Danielle’s passion surrounding the impact of First Star’s contract with the city of Omaha and the literal tons of consumer waste they are diverting from the landfill each day. Curious to know more, I made a mental note to follow-up with her invitation – she had me at “landfill diversion”! With misinformation floating around about the efficacy of recycling (does it even matter?) I wanted to see for myself. In the following months, I emailed First Star to schedule a group tour for myself and friends to coincide with my birthday.  On a misty morning in July we drove along the industrial stretch of west “I” street and pulled into a spacious parking lot surrounding a large warehouse. The entrance signage is nondescript, and we followed an arrow that led to a set of stairs along the east side of the warehouse. Upon entry, we were buzzed into the reception area and welcomed warmly by the staff. Waiting for our guide, we suited up with the required personal protective equipment – hardhat, goggles, and ear plugs (all provided). For safety reasons, we also came wearing close-toed shoes. First Star is a regional recycling center, servicing not only Omaha, but Lincoln and Grand Island as well. Other surrounding states also hold contracts with First Star for recycling services. First Star Sales Manager, Jeff Heck, led our tour. He was knowledgeable, concise, courteous, and patient with our questions. First Star is a massive operation that runs 24-hours, five days a week, diverting 100,000 tons of commingled (mixed) recycling from our landfill each year.  Originally scheduled for sixty minutes, we spent nearly two hours exploring the ins and outs of the property. Jeff guided us along the path that recyclable items take through the facility, noting rather nonchalantly that First Star diverts 400 tons of commingled recycling from our landfill EACH DAY. To accomplish this feat, the warehouse is separated into a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) separating plastic from non-plastic, and a Plastic Recovery Facility (PRF) which sorts plastic by type (there are dozens of varieties). Through interior doorways that led to vast, cathedral-like spaces, each was filled with massive hills of our everyday consumer recycling debris – cardboard packaging, boxes, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, even a child’s plastic car seat – all needing to be sorted into their appropriate location. Large machinery enveloped each space we entered, like multi-storied metal dragons. We climbed narrow stair treads, wet and slippery with humidity, each leading to various levels of sorting. Some of this work is done by hand, but most relies on automation, using strong magnets, specialty conveyor belts, and vacuum suction ports to separate various recycling elements – plastic film (e.g. bags), rigid plastic, paper, aluminum, and more.  Part of our tour looped outdoors and into the mist, arriving at what appeared to be a two-story green metal cage. Jeff explained to us that the cage begins empty and is eventually filled with plastic film that has been separated from the other recyclables because it cannot go through the sorting machines (gets caught in the wheels and jams the machine’s process), noting that 3-5 tons of plastic film alone are kept from our landfills EACH DAY! We re-entered the facility through an open set of double loading truck garage doors. Once in a while, we had to pause, allowing a forklift to drive by. We continued to weave our way around puddles. The humidity was high and the air was stagnant. It was loud as the machinery moved through its sorting duties. Small bits of debris and packaging that had lost their way soaked in puddles. There was a subtle stench emanating from massive piles of discarded consumer packaging. At one point Jess, another staff member on our tour, made the comment that we were witnessing the “glamorous side of trash”. She’s not wrong. It wasn’t pleasant, but the accomplishment of the work happening at First Star felt miraculous to me. This wasn’t a landfill, First Star ultimately sells these sorted and packaged recyclable materials to other vendors who transform them into new, usable items.  There was organization amidst it all. Crushed aluminum bales. Shredded paper bales. Plastic packaging bales. Towers of them, all eventually diverted from the landfill for a second life. For example, a large pharmaceutical company that still uses dot matrix continuous print paper for their payroll purchases the shredded paper bales to make new paper rolls for their machines. On the last leg of the tour, Jeff gave us a peek into their plastic lumber division. You may be familiar with the Hefty ReNew/Energy Program (the “orange bags”). Qualifying materials from those bags and that two-story cage I mentioned earlier are processed and cast into dimensional plastic lumber. The Hefty ReNew Program offers both residents and businesses a convenient way to convert hard-to-recycle plastics (e.g. plastic bags, styrofoam, single use plastic silverware) into an eco-conscious alternative to traditional building materials. Their office spaces featured a display of picnic benches, raised garden beds, and adirondack chairs that had been constructed with the plastic lumber, along with pallets of the lumber available for purchase directly from First Star. As an Omaha-resident, you can purchase the “orange bags” at most Hy-Vee stores. Once they are filled, place them in your curbside recycling bin for regular collection.
Jeff continued to graciously answer our questions until our tour’s close, offering us a warm send off.
I share this experience because it was fundamental in my understanding of citywide processes that I feel we should all know about. The experience was deeply moving for me, both sobering and hopeful. Our communal efforts to engage with recycling in our homes and workplaces matter. The key takeaways for me are to consume less, to use less packaging, and to buy less. Over-consumption culture and general apathy are tricky beasts we’ve yet to calm. If you are interested in scheduling a tour to learn more about First Star Recycling, visit their web site and complete their Contact Form, or call 402-894-0003.
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 Coming out of Earth Month (April) I thought it appropriate to share ways I approach reducing waste & some of my studio practices for landfill diversion! The following are how I label bins to help me stay organized & have become part of my everyday routine: ♻️COMPOST: All excess foliage & stem clippings are composted with Hillside Solutions. I have a subscription to their Compost Club which gives access to bin sites around the city to drop compost I've collected. ♻️REUSEABLE: I repurpose as much as possible! Rubber bands from flower bunches are saved to return to farm partners. Twisty ties from flower bunches I reuse to hang drying flowers or for wearable exploration. Wholesale flower boxes I return to the flower wholesaler or use to transport large orders. Plastic flower sleeves can be reused (or “orange bagged” see below). Produce clamshells are repurposed to hold small wearables. All vases I use are thrifted or from donations. For larger events I partner with Second Chance Bouquets in which they swoop flowers post-event, recreate arrangements & donate them the following day to area care communities. ♻️RECYCLE: Cardboard & paper are recycled through the city's contract with First Star Recycling. Glass jars are donated to Exist Green's refill program, or taken to the Glass Recycling drop-site southwest of Jimmy Johns (73rd & Farnam). ♻️ENERGY/RENEW (orange) BAGS: Most plastic that can't be recycled can be "orange bagged", such as flower sleeves or plastic picks. Orange Bags can be sourced from First Star or HyVee & have detailed descriptions of what can be placed in them. As an Omaha resident, when your “orange bag” is full, place it in your recycle bin, where it will be taken to First Star Recycling & be made into plastic lumber for construction work (ie. you can build a deck with it)! ♻️LANDFILL: Whatever I can't place in previously mentioned bins, most likely goes to the landfill, which after all is said & done is the least amount! Part of reducing waste is coming to an understanding how much one consumes & then shift daily routines to lessen it. It does not happen all at once, & it takes effort – it has been an ongoing learning journey for me! One effort that I am exploring now is working with Exist Green’s bulk refill system on creating a cleaning solution recipe that I can use to wash vases and buckets. I can bring my own reusable spray bottle each time & refill from their available cleaning ingredients. I will keep you posted! I realize landfill diversion options available to residents will vary by location. What are best practices you’ve implemented or are exploring? I’d love to hear in comments!  District 2 Floral Studio's landfill diversion bins: compost, landfill, recycling, reusable plastic, and Renew Orange bags. |
AuthorHolly Lukasiewicz stretches her arms between worlds of environmental advocacy, art & urban farming. She explores these intersections through her work as a sustainable flower designer. 
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