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This is an archived page related to the pilot.

The information on this page and related pages only applied to the pilot and does not apply to any current collection.

Pilot Program Ending Week of April 17-21

Thank you to those in the pilot area. This test has been very helpful and informative. The City will use the information gained from the pilot to help us write the next solid waste collection contract.

Place all carts out for collection on your regular collection day this final week. After being emptied, the carts will be collected.

Beginning next week, April 24-28, 2017, return to placing material out for collection as you had done prior to the pilot.

Garbage

In 32-gallon trash cans (45 pounds max)
In clear plastic bags (40 pounds max)
Limit of five containers

Yardwaste kept separate from garbage

In 32-gallon trash cans marked with a YW on two sides (45 pounds max)
In paper yardwaste bags (40 pounds max)
Bundles of brush, tied securely with string (4 feet long max)
No limit to the number of properly prepared yardwaste containers

Recyclables (now back to weekly collection)

In city provided 18-gallon green bin (replacements available at locations listed here)
Extra recyclables may be placed in a paper sack or a reasonably sized box

Energy Bag

If you choose to continue with using Energy Bags, place them in the bottom of the green bin with heavier materials on top to prevent them from blowing out of the open bin.

Alternatively, energy Bags may be taken to Omaha’s recycling drop-off sites and placed in with the mixed recyclables.

You must purchase Energy Bags at your own expense from now on.

Additional information on obtaining and proper use of the Energy Bag may be found by clicking here.

What Is This Pilot Program About?

ASL Truck Photo The City of Omaha and Waste Management are initiating a pilot program to evaluate a modernized system of solid waste collection service.

Utilizing automated collection trucks and providing residents with wheeled carts for waste and recycling is one step in the evaluation process. The program began on November 7 and will run through the end of April 2017, providing modernized collection to approximately 2,500 residents.

The City has selected areas in Omaha between 78th and 120th streets and between Harrison and Mary Streets. To see a map of the five neighborhoods, click here.

Waste Management and the City believe that these areas give a good representation of typical circumstances for collection for the vast majority of the City.

For those of you in the pilot program, the City and Waste Management thank you for your participation.

I Have Questions!

We have FAQs! To read them on-line, click here. You may read or print the Acrobat file, by clicking here.

To answer the two main questions—

Must I participate and use the carts provided?

Yes, unless you hire your own garbage service company and don’t use the City provided service. In order to fully understand the change to automated collection we need 100{1e4c2ebc150352f5d45a3acb5984e0054d480c8faf28413b06af920d6531db3a} participation.

What if the one 96-gallon cart isn’t big enough for all of my yardwaste?

You may request a second cart for the combined Garbage and Yardwaste. If that still isn’t enough, you are allowed to place, outside the cart, up to six of the special paper yardwaste bags or bundles of brush each week. Yardwaste is collected year around.

What Is the Recycling Pick-up Schedule?

↓ ↓ ↓ This notice is updated automatically on Mondays. ↓ ↓ ↓
This is Recycling Week
↑ ↑ ↑ This notice is updated automatically on Mondays. ↑ ↑ ↑

During the pilot program recycling is collected every other week beginning the week of November 14, 2016. To print a calendar highlighting the collection schedule weeks, click here.

To view the calendar, click here.

Read About What We Are Discovering in the Pilot

Two thing that happen when carts for recycling are distributed. One is that people tend to recycle more, however people also become sloppy recyclers and include things they shouldn’t. We are sorting through the some of the recycling to see if that’s true or not. To read about what we discover, click here.

What Information Have the Neighborhoods Received?

A letter mailed on October 11. To read it, click here.
An invitation to an Open House mailed on October 17. The open house is a time to ask questions, and checkout and observe the equipment in action. To see the invitation, click here.
An e-mail about the pilot was sent to those registered for solid waste reminders. To read the e-mail, click here.
A brochure about the program and how to use the cart delivered with the cart. To see the brochure, click here. [added 10/21/2016]
During the pilot, those registered for solid waste reminders will receive reminders before recycling weeks. To read a sample one, click here. To receive these reminders, sign up by clicking here.
Waste Management produced a promotional video about how automated collection and gas to energy could be part of Omaha’s future. To watch the video, click here.
Photos from the Open House (click to open full size)
More photos and videos are available in the blog available by clicking here.