Improvement matters. Parents want their children to do better in school. From Mom and Pop to Fortune 500, businesses strive for efficiency and effectiveness. My favorite philosophy is summed up by the 4-H Motto: To Make the Best Better. Think what you achieved today is the pinnacle? Nah, you have the ability to do better tomorrow.
Keep Alliance Beautiful is always looking for adjustments to make recycling easier for our community. The more people that take advantage of our services the greater volume of potential trash is diverted out of the landfill and into a circular economy with at least one more lease on life as a new product or material. We constantly discuss how we can make each of the three legs of our service better: a recycling center open to the public 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday; trailers and containers available 24/7 and curbside service.
We always encourage patrons to visit us at 107 ½ Cheyenne Ave. in Alliance to drop off anything from a single grocery bag of empty water bottles to a horse trailer that took six months to fill. That way we can unload for you and immediately put everything where it goes while saving trailer space for after hours.
Two changes are underway at the trailers north of the recycling center along West Second Street between Cheyenne and the alley to the east as we plan to further separate plastic and collect more aluminum cans.
KAB is again attempting to separate plastic for the Hefty ReNew (orange bag) program from Nos. 1-7 plastic and milk jugs. One door on the end of the 14-container trailer has already received new signage and the one on the other side will soon. There will be information attached to the black containers below the doors explaining what hard-to-recycle plastic items are acceptable. Basically, everything on the list is pliable plastic or styrofoam including: chip bags, candy wrappers, foam containers (from egg cartons to to-go boxes and cups), bubble wrap, plastic grocery bags, pudding cups, dog and cat food bags, plastic utensils and more. Removing this type of material is time intensive for our sorters and we’d like to see if two containers are enough to hold what is currently mixed throughout the trailer.
During the fourth quarter of 2025 KAB baled and shipped 5,590 pounds of orange bags. We have seen growth in local recycling of this material over the last few years, including residential recycling processed for Chadron. This type of plastic was previously avoided in large part because it interfered with machinery at large MRFs (Materials Recovery Facility). Many of the products listed on the signage mentioned above still feature a “no recycling” symbol or tell consumers to check with local facilities. I like to see something that would have been thrown away as a tangible contribution to Nebraska manufacturing. First Star Recycling’s Omaha processing division accepts our orange bag bales at Solutions Plastic Lumber where they “are transformed into durable, high-quality plastic lumber products,” according to the company website.
Another planned tweak for our trailers will be switching the “bottle” trailer to an aluminum can trailer. This single-axle mesh trailer features holes in the top to insert beverage containers. KAB has been receiving more aluminum cans and we’d like to have additional space for patrons rather than placing bags outside the trailer, which may also have another space devoted to pop, beer and other cans. Loose, sorted cans are also easier to bale and provide income for our Keep America Beautiful affiliate.
A couple blocks away, we are promoting vape recycling with a container outside Nebulous Vapor by the parking lot in the 200 block of West Third. Though the business also accepts spent vapes to recycle we hope to significantly increase the number collected with an after-hours option.
Finally, there is no reason to leave home to recycle in Alliance. I encourage our neighbors to sign up for our curbside service offered every other week for a nominal fee ($100 per year). Senior citizens have their own free, weekly option. For information contact our office at 308-762-1729.