First Star Recycling

About 50 professionals from across the region gathered at the Henry Doorly Zoo's Harper Event Center yesterday for the Recycling Economic Summit for a day of collaborative discussions, networking, and problem-solving focused on building a stronger, more resilient recycling economy.

Organized and emceed by First Star Recycling founder and Board Chair, Dale Gubbels, the daylong discussions focused on how Nebraska can create and enhance end markets for the estimated 2 million tons of resources our state landfills each year—turning more of those materials into valuable resources that stay in use and support our economy.

We are proud to be a part of this conversation, finding solutions for increasing landfill diversion and grateful for all of the parties associated including Conservation Nebraska, Nebraska Recycling Council, Heartland 2050, The Association of Plastic Recyclers, Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, the US Plastics Pact and the Douglas County Environmental Services under Kent Holme's directorship and many others.

Seeing is believing when it comes to recycling! The results from the The Association of Plastic Recyclers second annual Recycling in Action show that giving people a firsthand look at what happens to their recyclables can make a real difference in confidence and understanding. Take a look at the Press Announcement linked in the article!

www.firststarrecycling.com/news-1/results-from-second-annual-recycling-in-action-tours-2026 Solutions Plastic Lumber

Results from Second Annual Recycling In Action Tours - 2026 — First Star Recycling Results from the Association of Plastic Recyclers from the second annual Recycling in Action program show that giving people a firsthand look at what happens to their recyclables can make a real difference in confidence and understanding. At First Star Recycling, we are touring multiple groups and

Great connections and conversations at the Nebraska Recycling Council 2026 Conference last week!

First Star Recycling was proud to serve as a session sponsor, and we enjoyed the opportunity to showcase Solutions Plastic Lumber and talk about how hard-to-recycle plastics can be transformed into durable, useful products.

One great example on display: planters made lumber from recycled material collected from BD Columbus — a tangible example of recycling coming full circle.

Thanks to the Nebraska Recycling Council for bringing together so many people committed to strengthening recycling and sustainable materials management across Nebraska.

Solutions Plastic Lumber

♻️ We’re headed to the Nebraska Recycling Council’s 2026 Fall Conference!

The First Star Recycling & Solutions Plastic Lumber team is looking forward to Beyond the Bin on September 16 in Lincoln. Jeff Heck, Justin Rush and Kyle Bivens will be there connecting with others working to advance recycling, waste reduction and sustainable materials management across Nebraska.

From recycling and material recovery to finding new life for hard-to-recycle plastics through ReClaim™ Plastic Lumber, we’re proud to be part of the work happening to keep valuable materials in use and out of the landfill.

Attending the conference? Stop by and see us! We’d love to talk recycling, plastic lumber, partnerships—or hear what sustainability challenges you're working to solve. ♻️

On this Labor Day, we celebrate the hard workers who keep our communities moving—especially our First Star Recycling & Solutions Plastic team who make a difference every day. Thank you for all you do! Happy Labor Day!


Solutions Plastic Lumber

Thanks to all who came out to First Star Recycling and Solutions Plastic Lumber on Saturday for Open Omaha Tours at First Star Recycling. We had 4 tours and approximately 130 people were enlightened about where the ♻ goes, including the orange bag programs we use to make ReClaim™ Plastic Lumber!

Thanks so much to Omaha by Design for putting together such a great day and also to the Open Omaha volunteers who were so helpful!

was a success! Stay tuned for !

♻️ OPEN OMAHA IS TODAY!

Open Omaha kicks off at 10 a.m., and First Star Recycling is opening its doors for a behind-the-scenes look at recycling in action!

Stop by to learn how single-stream recycling works, explore commercial and industrial recycling, and see how Orange Bag materials are transformed into ReClaim™ Plastic Lumber right here in Omaha.

📍 First Star Recycling, 10330 I Street
⏰ Open Omaha: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
🏭 First Star tours: 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. & 3 p.m.
💻 Sign up here: https://www.firststarrecycling.com/tour-schedule

Open Omaha is FREE and features dozens of interesting spaces and hidden gems throughout the community. Make a day of exploring Omaha! See https://www.omahabydesign.org/openomaha

Open Omaha is TOMORROW! What a great way to spend Saturday - exploring featured venues in Omaha and put a tour of First Star Recycling on your map!

Be sure to download the Open Omaha app and/or visit https://www.omahabydesign.org/openomaha to check out the venues that are opening up to the public and create your special day of exploring Omaha from 10am to 4pm tomorrow. And be sure to sign up at www.firststarrecycling.com for a tour!