Omaha Recycling Guide

When empty and clean, the following items are accepted in a City of Omaha curbside recycling cart or drop-off site container:

• Aluminum & Steel Cans

• Plastic Bottles, Jugs, & Snap-Top Containers (Marked #1, #2, #3, #5)

• Paper & Cardboard

• Cartons & Canisters (e.g., Soup/Milk Cartons, Juice Boxes, Nut Canisters)

Tip: Items should be empty & clean; leave lids & caps on; keep items loose and do not bag.

See a list of ALL accepted items at the City’s Wasteline Website:

DO NOT include the following items in a curbside recycling cart:

• NO Glass – (take glass to drop-off locations)

• NO Plastic Bags or Wrap – (return bags to retailer or place in an orange Hefty® ReNew® bag)

• NO Yardwaste – (place in garbage or compost)

• NO Tanglers – (no hoses, wires, chains, or electronics)

• NO Food or Liquid – (empty and rinse all containers)

See an overview of recycling information at the City’s Wasteline Website:

Lids can be attached or secured back onto the items you plan to recycle. Pumps and spray-tops are ok to leave on too. Lids and caps will be removed during the sorting process and recycled.

• The preferred method is to rinse out all contents then reattach the lid or cap before placing your item in a recycling cart or container

Note: Loose or detached lids and caps are too small to go through the sorting machinery on their own and will end up going to the landfill. Loose lids also cause problems for equipment and contaminate other recyclables. If you cannot reattach a lid to a recyclable item, it is best to place the loose lid in the garbage.

See item listings for Plastic Lids & Caps or Metal Lids to read more tips.

Before placing them in the recycling cart or container, ALL items need to be EMPTY and CLEAN.

• Items that held dry goods may be wiped out to remove any dust or crumbs

• Items that held liquid contents may only require a quick rinse

• Items that held thicker products like soaps, shampoos, dairy products like yogurt, and sticky substances may require a more thorough rinse and cleaning to remove all residue

It is ok to leave the labels on your recyclable items, such as plastic containers, envelopes, bottles, and jars. Today's recycling technology and high-heat processes are designed to remove impurities still attached to products, including labels and glue.

Plastic bags are a problem at the recycling facility. Bags wrap around the equipment that sorts the recyclables. This causes the recycling facility to shut down waiting for workers to cut the bags free from the equipment. Bags of recyclables need to be pulled out and discarded.

• DO NOT include loose plastic bags in a City of Omaha green-lid recycling cart or drop-off site container

• Keep all items loose and DO NOT bag recyclables

• The only exception is the orange Hefty® ReNew® bag filled with material and tied shut

See the Plastic Bags listing to find alternative recycling options in our area.

FirstStar Recycling offers a special orange bag program to collect hard-to-recycle plastics in our community. To participate, you can purchase orange Hefty® ReNew® bags, which will be collected through your existing curbside and drop-off site services. When filled with accepted materials and tied shut, the bright orange Hefty® ReNew® bag is the ONLY bag that can be placed in a curbside recycling cart or drop-off site container. Click the button below to learn more:

FirstStar Recycling indicates that these hard-to-recycle plastic items can be placed in the orange Hefty® ReNew® bag. Items should be EMPTY and CLEAN.

• Toothpaste tubes

• Plastic food bags (cheese packaging, frozen food bags)

• Plastic serveware (plates, cups, takeout containers)

• Plastic utensils

• Foam / Styrofoam cups and takeout containers

• Foam / Styrofoam coolers or packing material

• Snack or juice squeeze pouches

• Empty condiment packets

• Salad bags and plastic produce bags

• Plastic chip bags and candy wrappers

• Snack cups and food containers

• Plastic bags

• Cellophane and plastic wraps

• Plastic liner bags from cake mix or cereal

• Plastic straws and stirrers

DO NOT include any metal, paper, food, liquid, or glass in the orange bag. These items can cause contamination.

When filled with accepted materials and tied shut, the bright orange Hefty® ReNew® bag is the ONLY bag that can be placed in a curbside recycling cart or drop-off site container.

The Hefty® ReNew® program and list of accepted materials may vary by location due to end processing capabilities. See more information and guidelines for the Nebraska-specific program at:

The short answer is, glass breaks. The City of Omaha collects recyclables in a compactor truck that would break glass. Broken glass contaminates other recyclables such as paper, and can be dangerous for workers. Please DO NOT place glass in green-lid curbside recycling carts.

• Recycle glass by taking it to a PURPLE container at one of Omaha’s glass recycling drop-off sites

When it comes to what’s accepted for recycling, every community is different. That’s why it’s important to follow the recycling guidelines specific to our city. Although we might want everything to be recyclable, many items are not.

Despite good intentions, placing non-accepted items into a recycling cart or container slows or defeats the entire recycling process. Also known as “wishcycling,” the practice of placing non-accepted items into the recycling stream only creates more work at the sorting facility, causes contamination, and increases risk of harm to workers and machinery.

• Remember the motto: “When in doubt, leave it out!”

• If you're not sure whether something can be recycled, it’s better to place it in the garbage than to contaminate other recyclables or cause harm

Note: Information in the Omaha Recycling Guide is not a comprehensive list of all items or material types. If you feel there’s an error or think your item is missing from the Guide, click here to let us know!

When items that are NOT accepted make their way into the recycling stream, they can reduce the overall quality of recyclable material that can be produced. This is known as contamination. Contamination by an unwanted item can cause an entire load of otherwise good recyclables to be sent to the landfill.

• Remember the motto: “When in doubt, leave it out!”

• If you're not sure whether something can be recycled, it’s better to place it in the garbage than to contaminate other recyclables or cause harm

You can prevent contamination by keeping the following items OUT of your recycling container:

• NO food

• NO plastic bags*, film, or bubble wrap

• NO shredded paper

• NO foam or Styrofoam items

• NO scrap metal or car parts

• NO garden hoses

• NO batteries

• NO cords or electronics

• NO wire hangers

• NO sharps like razors or needles

• NO tanglers such as tubes, plastic netting, six-pack rings

• NO trash such as diapers or furnace filters

*The exception is the bright orange Hefty® ReNew® bag, which is the ONLY bag that can be placed in a curbside recycling cart or drop-off site container when it’s filled with material and tied shut.