♻️ Feel better in 4.5 mins after reading this

Oh boy, have we got a good one for you this month. Stick with us and you’ll measurably be in a better mood by the time we’re done …

This month’s rundown:

🎟️ Event Recaps: Earth Day Omaha went zero waste and Compost Club Gives gave away a trail of compost taller than the Statue of Liberty
✍️ Your Eco Tip: Watch and read how the best eco-organizations earned a bowling trophy at our first awards ceremony
🥳 New Partners: Kiewit University, Ooh De Lally, and Kaneko
📼 Watch: How to get your free compost through your Compost Club subscription

YOUR ECO TIP

We gave bowling trophies to Omaha’s top eco-organizations. We’ll give you their playbook.

That’s right. Last month we found a bunch of used sports trophies, gathered up some of our favorite people, and dished out some awards. Now we’re sharing with you exactly what these organizations are doing to advance Omaha’s sustainability movement so you can copy their award-winning moves.

But first, here’s who we gave replated bowling trophies to …

Baxter Subaru for becoming the nation’s first zero-waste-to-landfill dealership
Kiewit Luminarium for designing zero waste infrastructure into its building
Amateur Coffee for eliminating single-use cups & utensils
Exist Green for showing us the true meaning of zero waste
The Omaha Conagra office for diverting 22.5 tons a month from the landfill
Marian High School for achieving zero-waste-to-landfill in the lunchroom
Duchesne Academy for being the first zero-waste-to-landfill school
Catering Creations for supplying Omaha with a trackable zero-waste event service
Union for Contemporary Art for using donated soil from Compost Clubbers to give away free produce
Sustainable Suburbanite for showing us how to live a zero-waste life in the Omaha suburbs
No More Empty Pots for the amazing and multi-faceted circular food systems they created

See how they did it

CHARTS

Omaha’s circular food system in action

Compost Clubbers and local composting businesses donated 387 cubic feet of compost to select non-profit gardens during the 2024 Compost Club Gives campaign. Stack that up and it’s taller than the world’s tallest tree or the Statue of Liberty!

City Sprouts, No More Empty Pots, and others are using the donated material to grow organic food and feed our community. Often times for folks who often have a hard time getting access to local organic food. And because these garden organizations compost with us, all of the garden waste will go to next year’s crops as well. That’s Omaha’s circular food movement in action.

If you missed out, we do this every spring. In the meantime, tee up by becoming a Compost Clubber by clicking here.

Earth Day Omaha went zero-waste-to-landfill

In a first-ever, Omaha’s biggest celebration of Earth Day at Elmwood Park hit its zero-waste-to-landfill goal. In total, 168 pounds were kept out of the landfill, totaling 96% of all waste collected at our stations. To be considered a zero-waste-to-landfill event, you only need to divert 90% or more from the landfill. Many thanks to the volunteers for making it happen!

SNIPPETS

Bellevue East and West high schools got some World Herald press on their successful composting program. We love to see quotes from high school students like this: “To me, climate change is the biggest issue we are facing right now and the first thing we should be tackling.”

The EPA says e-cigarettes can't go in the trash because of the battery. For context, two of our trucks have caught on fire from batteries in the past six months. If you’re looking to properly dispose of them, take them to Batteries+ or Cross Recycling.

Omaha’s landfill produces 1,246 tons of methane a year. That’s according to an amazing new tool that tracks emissions worldwide.

NEW PARTNERS

Round of applause to these organizations partnering with us to step up their recycling and/or composting game. Dine, donate, shop, or generally support these folks.

Kaneko

Kaneko has modernized its recycling program! Through our partnership, they’re now sending materials to First Star Recycling using our optimal dual-stream system. That means less contamination and more items recycled. Read why dual-stream matters.

Ooh De Lally

This new restaurant in Dundee employs formerly incarcerated folks, helping them transition into productive lives. Word on the street is that their lobster roll is amazing. They’ve also partnered with us on their recycling goals. If you’re looking for eco-friendly places to eat, here’s our list.

Air-Side Components

One construction equipment warehouse took stock of its waste and found an abundance of metal cans and cardboard in the landfill dumpster. Now, Air-Side Components is building up its green footprint through our recycling services.

Kiewit University

While they’ve been composting food waste in the kitchen, Kiewit University just launched employee-facing recycling and composting disposal options in the cafe. Even more satisfying, they switched away from some landfill-bound cups in favor of BPI-certified compostable cups.

WATCH

Compost Clubbers: How to get your compost

Happy planting season! If you subscribe to our Compost Club program, you get 3 cubic feet of material for free each year (if you didn’t donate it during Compost Club Gives). You also get 20% off Soil Dynamics compost, soil, and mulch. You can use that discount as many times as you’d like.

We made a new video to walk you through how to get your product. Watch it here. As always, check out the FAQ section to be sure you’re fully utilizing your wonderful subscription.

Subscribe to this newsletter here.

Thanks for supporting local businesses and the sustainability movement. If you enjoyed this newsletter, please tell the world by leaving us a review.