As Nebraska municipalities are navigating their own “new normal” with recycling in a pandemic, we here at NRC believe this moment can be one of our greatest opportunities for strengthening programs and building more resilient systems for the long-term. Solutions such as contracting, measurement, and education will result in collecting the quality and quantity of recyclable materials necessary for manufacturing and to close the loop for resource recovery. The Recycling Partnership has released a new Guide to Community Material Recovery Facility Contracts as well as a webinar on How to Build a Better MRF Contract. TRP continues to educate on the topics of keeping materials moving and municipal measurement for recycling in their New Normal Webinar Series this summer.

The City of Lincoln is consolidating its recycling sites from 19 to four or five trailers by the year’s end, in response to city budget constraints. The remaining sites will be upgraded to hold more material and the reduced number will ease contamination issues, which can raise recycling costs and lessen the value of the materials.

The Nebraska Recycling Council attended the July 22nd David City City Council Meeting to answer questions on contracted curbside garbage collection and recycling services, which can lower costs for communities while increasing recycling rates. Leah Meyer, NRC Program Manager, shared data on average regional costs and haulers operating within Butler and the contiguous counties.