Omaha and Bellevue residents are now able to recycle more plastic than before thanks to the Hefty® Energy Bag program. The new slogan to know when it comes to Omaha recycling, and it’s “If you don’t bin it, bag it.”

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by the Hefty® Energy Bag program. All thoughts, opinions, and typos are my own.

The Hefty® Energy Bag program was the Sustainable Sponsor were at the big Elmwood Park Earth Day Omaha celebration this year. Did you see them?

This recycling program could not make it easier for us to reduce the amount of waste going into local landfills. Thanks to all the program sponsors for initiating this in the metro area! This post is sponsored by the Hefty® Energy Bag Program.

What Goes In A Hefty® Energy Bag

Take a look at the list below to see what can be recycled through the program. I see a lot of things my family tosses in the trash: Frozen vegetable bags, packing peanuts, plastic straws.

As of April 2017, the Hefty® Energy Bag program has collected more than 10,000 bags in the Omaha metro area, diverting more than 5 tons of plastic previously destined for landfills.

How The Hefty® Energy Bag Program Works

This program fits in seamlessly with your usual recycling routine; you just need to buy the Hefty® Energy Bag to recycle the plastics that you used to throw away.

Here’s how the Hefty® Energy Bag Program works:

– Place things like candy wrappers, plastic cutlery and juice pouches in the orange Hefty® Energy Bag. Make sure they’re clean and free of food residue.

– Place orange Energy Bag in your regular recycle bin or cart and put it out with your regular curbside recycling pickup.

– Local haulers pick up the bags during participants’ regular recycling collection and take it to a First Star Recycling facility.

– First Star Recycling sorts the Hefty® Energy Bags before sending them to Systech Environmental Corporation.

– Systech converts the bags and their contents into energy used to produce cement.

Get started

For those in the Omaha area who would like to purchase Hefty® Energy Bags and participate in the innovative recycling program, click here.

I had a good question from a Facebook follower, Jessica S.: “Are these bags available locally?” At this time, the bags are not in stores.

However, customers of Papillion Sanitation can get them through the company. According to their website: Each roll comes with 20 bags and each roll is $10.00.  We will even deliver them to you on your trash day.  If you need some of these energy bags, please call our customer service at 402-346-7800 and your customer service representative will help you. Thanks for the tip, Tabitha!

The Hefty® Energy Bag Program is a collaborative effort between The Dow Chemical Company, Reynolds Consumer Products, Recyclebank, First Star Recycling, ConAgra Foods, and Systech Environmental Corporation. To learn more, visit www.HeftyEnergyBag.com and follow @Hefty and @DowPackaging on Twitter for updates.

Liked this post?

Get more posts like this delivered straight to your inbox twice a month. Subscribe to the FREE e-newsletter sharing giveaways, new posts and updates to popular posts like this one! Subscribe here.