Gather Round for a Story About Omaha's First Zero Waste Provider 

We started as a simple ma-and-pop residential trash pickup company called Gretna Sanitation in 2004, and then went kind of crazy (in a good way) after that.

What came next was launching the Greater Omaha Area’s first and only industrial composting facility called Soil Dynamics. It’s gone on to win awards.

To meet the needs of the business community, we launched Hillside Solutions in 2017 to not only haul off their trash but also to develop the most extensive composting and recycling program, along with training and consultation to help these organizations meet their sustainability goals. It has a 5-star rating on Google and has also gone onto get awards from Earth Day Omaha, Green Bellevue, and the Nebraska Recycling Council.

Given that all the aforementioned are for-profit companies, we saw a lot of problems and opportunities that only a non-profit entity could solve, so we launched the Hillside Foundation Fund in late 2025. Its focus is on programs and education that promote and implement the benefits of composting for schools, food growers, and people and organizations that may otherwise not be able to afford recycling and composting services.

The best part? We have plenty more in the works. :)

In the meantime, here’s a longer version of our story with links and reviews to back it all up.

Enjoy! And let us know if we can help you.

It all started with fistfuls of grit and earnest naivety one day when Andy Harpenau saw a dump truck drive by and said, "Well, how hard can that be?" So the Harpenau family got into the waste hauling industry. 

Little did they know at the time, the journey would send Andy’s family down a road to eventually create the Omaha area's first commercial composting farm, and subsequently usher in a new era of sustainability by enabling his community to go zero waste. 

First, there was …

GRETNA SANITATION

But first, let's backup to 2004. 

That’s the year that — from the ground up — the Harpenau family founded a traditional landfill and recycling hauling company named Gretna Sanitation. While the business grew to include thousands of residential and hundreds of commercial clients, the Harpenau's realized that every spring, Gretna Sanitation trucks were overloaded with yard waste. And every spring, these trucks would unload incredibly heavy & dense loads at the landfill.

But the thing is — the heavier the trucks, the more costly it is to dump waste at a landfill. This makes it hard for a small & local operation to compete with other haulers who own their own landfills.

It soon became evident that composting yard waste was not only an environmentally healthy alternative, but also an enticing entrepreneurial opportunity. 

So instead of sending yard waste to the landfill to put off methane gas, decrease the lifespan the landfill, and create toxic sledge, the Harpenau's strapped up their boots once again and founded Soil Dynamics in 2011. 

Then came …

SOIL DYNAMICS

Next to the sandhill cranes and roaming bison of the Wildlife Safari park in Ashland, Nebraska, Andy and team began composting Gretna Sanitation's yard waste and selling mulch and soil to local landscapers. In the process, they began diverting thousands of tons of yard waste from the landfill. 

But it didn't take long to figure out that if you want to make the kind of soil that vibrant gardens thrive in, and that true plant and flower enthusiasts search for — you need more than just yard waste in your soil. 

So this is where the magic happens: after many hurdles, Andy was granted a permit to begin composting manure and food waste along with yard waste. Through this one logistical maneuver, Andy created the Omaha area's first and only commercial composting farm, and set the stage for a zero waste hauling company to service southeast Nebraska. 

And then …

HILLSIDE SOLUTIONS

To piece everything together, Hillside Solutions was created in 2017 to connect schools, apartment communities, and businesses with the landfill, recycling, and compostable hauling services of Gretna Sanitation and the commercial composting process of Soil Dynamics. 

In essence, Hillside Solution's is the waste hauling company of the future — one focused on diverting materials from the landfill, providing people with sustainable alternatives, and enabling our community to live a zero waste lifestyle. 

Today, Hillside Solutions works with subsidiaries Gretna Sanitation and Soil Dynamics to take on the big waste hauling sustainability needs of our community. By offering zero waste disposal opportunities, providing education to help implement, and using CNG-fueled trucks to cut down on emissions, Hillside Solutions is paving the way for what it means to be a sustainably-minded waste hauling company.