Recycling?

[Brad]

Where can I recycle lots of old books?  Most are old college  computer text books from the late 90's and are worthless in 2008.  I Also have a few old phone books and other junk I need to get rid of.

Is there a place to recycle these instead of taking them to the work dumpster like I do with everything else.

[bbinks]

My trash hauler is Elkhorn Sanitation, and their recycling partner; Recycle Bank, takes most paper based products.  Prior to that, I took my stuff to this place near 85th & Blondo.  They only pay for cans, but they have bins outside for newspaper (I put all my paper based things in there), glass, and aluminum.  I think all this eventually ends up at the First Star plant for processing.

[dandr1229]

My trash hauler is Elkhorn Sanitation, and their recycling partner; Recycle Bank, takes most paper based products.  

And the nice thing about Elkhorn Sanitation's Recycle Bank is that they have a reward program that pays you based on the weight of what you recycle (phone books and text books would weigh alot0.   The payment isn't cash, but its points for coupons.   Luckily there are enough local merchants in my area that participate that I get real value from the points redemption.

[heyimjason]

I'd probably drop them off at a Goodwill.  Otherwise just trash them.  I don't imagine that the cardboard and paper used in books is really that bad for the environment, especially if sitting around in a landfill.  I hate to see any kind of book go to waste - I bet you could give them away in a heartbeat on Craigslist.

If all else absolutely failed, and you had a decent stack of them, I'd be willing to take them.  I've already got a few hundred books I have to go through anyways.

[Brad]

I found a recycling center somewhere around 105th and F street.

Its a parking lot with all kinds of dumpsters in.  Each is labeled glass, paper, cardboard, etc...

[RegisResident]

There is a recycling center at the Hyvee on 78th & Cass St. There you can drop off paper (text books, etc.), cans, glass, cardboard, plastic, etc.

[windsor]

There is a recycling center at the Hyvee on 78th & Cass St. There you can drop off paper (text books, etc.), cans, glass, cardboard, plastic, etc.

Excellent.  My recycle bin had a post it note on it the other day saying no glass please.

[nativeomahan]

I took all my glass to Hy-Vee at 79th and Cass on Easter Sunday, and WOW, the recycle are was gone!   Where am I supposed to drop off glass in mid town now?

[Guest]

Yeah I saw on the news that they got rid of the recycling dumpsters at HyVee on Cass.  Their reason?  Because too many people used it and it was overflowing....umm...HELLO?!  If the bins were overflowing because so many people used them then maybe rather than getting rid of the dumpsters they should add more or increase pickup frequency.  It made no sense to me.

[thenewguy]

Yeah I saw on the news that they got rid of the recycling dumpsters at HyVee on Cass.  Their reason?  Because too many people used it and it was overflowing....umm...HELLO?!  If the bins were overflowing because so many people used them then maybe rather than getting rid of the dumpsters they should add more or increase pickup frequency.  It made no sense to me.

Typically stores set up contracts with the company doing the recycling.  The recycler offers pick up times and how many dumpsters are available.  If either are not enough to keep with demand, the host can remove the dumpsters.  it isn't up to the host (Hy-Vee, in this case) to ensure either service.  It's good that so many people are wanting to recycle, but unfortunately the resources are not expanded enough right now to keep up with demand.  In Council Bluffs, there have been times when waste solutions has said they won't be picking up because they simply couldn't keep up with how much recycling is getting done.  It's only been 1 or 2 times that they've had to do that over here, though.  

I see where you're coming from, but i also see that Hy-Vee wants to uphold its clean and well kept image, and an overflowing recycling dumpster doesn't do that very well.  Hopefully the trash/recycling companies can expand with the demand there is.

[nebugeater]

Hasn't all the haulers in the area stopped picking up glass in the last year or slightly less?  I know Papilion Sanitation who we use has.  I was told that much of the recycle material from the area goes to the same processor for sorting and such and that they quit taking glass.

[thenewguy]

They still pick up glass in CB but that does sound about right otherwise

[Brad]

I took all my glass to Hy-Vee at 79th and Cass on Easter Sunday, and WOW, the recycle are was gone!   Where am I supposed to drop off glass in mid town now?

That location has been moved to 74th and Maple.  Its about a 1/2 block south of maple behind some car place.  They have all the glass/plastic/paper dumpsters there.

[nativeomahan]

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!
I will need a pickup truck to haul all my wine bottles over there, but I am glad to hear of this site.

[annad]

I believe there's also a new recycling location on Saddle Creek - maybe at Hamilton?  Can't remember the exact intersection.

[Goetzinger]

Check out the City of Omaha's "Solid Waste Management" web site:

http://www.wasteline.org

Lots of great recycling information on there!

[joeglow]

There is a recycling dumpster at Super Saver off of 144th & Stony Brook.

[Brad]

Speaking of Recycling....

Why in 2009 do I still get a phone book!  I wonder how many people like me get the book and IMMEDIATELY without even opening it throw it in the recycle bin.  Talk about a waste.  Even worse, I bet some people throw it straight in to the trash!

They should hand them out on a request only basis.  Or just put a stack at the grocery stores.  

I can't believe they pay people to deliver it to my recycle bin.

[Melissa]

Mine is still sitting on my front porch exactly where they delivered it.  Such a waste of paper.  

I'm not sure if this works, as I filled it out after I received my current phone book, but its worth a shot: http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/stop-yellow-pages/

Also, the Saddle Creek recycling place is just a couple blocks east of Saddle Creek on Izard St.

[nativeomahan]

I remember when getting a new phone book was a big deal (a la Steve Martin).  Now I maybe use it 3 times a year.

[icejammer]

They should hand them out on a request only basis.  Or just put a stack at the grocery stores.

That's what they've done in Council Bluffs.  You people in Omaha are so behind the times.    :;):

So, if you still use the phone book on a regular basis, is that a sign you're old?

[Brad]

They should hand them out on a request only basis.  Or just put a stack at the grocery stores.

That's what they've done in Council Bluffs.  You people in Omaha are so behind the times.    :;):

So, if you still use the phone book on a regular basis, is that a sign you're old?

Last time anyone used a phone book in my house it was as a booster seat for a 2 year old...

[Big E]

I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I used a phone book or a paper map.

I even forced everyone in the office to get rid of both about three years ago.  It's amazing how productive people can be when you force them out of the 1980s.

[Brad]

Speaking of Phone books!

[youtube][/youtube]

[Seth]

Who is that guy?  He sounds to me like a more lame version of Dane Cook.  I was waiting for him talk about hitting a little kid with the yellow pages.

[Brad]

Jim Rome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Rome

Has a sports talk show on 200+ station.  11-2 in Omaha.