First Star Recycling

10/21/2026

A Sazerac, a bowl of étouffée, and more recycled glass bottles than any other restaurant in Aksarben Village. Herbe Sainte has been pulling that off for almost ten years.

The menu is Cajun and Creole with a Southern lean: shrimp and grits, gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, Cajun mac and cheese, and a king cake bread pudding worth saving room for.

The bar does the New Orleans classics right, with Sazeracs, Pimm’s Cups and a rotating frozen cocktail. And the room makes a great date night: low light, rusted beams, couches and a long wood bar built to feel like an old New Orleans spot. On a warm night, grab a seat on the patio.

Our compost piles go nuts for their leftover grits, which we send to Soil Dynamics. Their recycling goes to First Star Recycling. And we send their glass bottles to Ripple Glass.

Herbe Sainte is part of Aksarben Village, which gives every tenant recycling, glass recycling and composting, a program we’ve run with Aksarben Village for about seven years.

Thanks Herbe Sainte for making amazing food and recycling and composting along the way. 🫡

If you've been there before, let the people know how great it is.

10/20/2026

10/20/2026

Omaha's free pumpkin drop-off is back! Two spots, both free, both open 24/7 from November 1-15.

Omaha:
Dundee Bank - Omaha, 5015 Underwood Ave. Look for the big roll-off in the back parking lot. These pumpkins head to a pasture-raised pig farm near McClelland, Iowa.

Papillion:
NeighborGood Community Pantry, 1712 Charleston Dr. The container is right outside the pantry. These get composted at Soil Dynamics and come back as soil for local yards and gardens.

Before you drop off, pull out the candles, stickers and any plastic. Painted or glittered pumpkins can’t come along.

Huge thanks to Dundee Bank and NeighborGood Community Pantry for hosting again. Save this for November 1, and share it with your neighborhood group so their pumpkins get a second life too.

P.S.
If you love composting your pumpkins, you'll wanna know about our year-round food scrap and yardwaste composting program called Curbside Compost Club. Reply "interested" below and we'll send details.

10/20/2026

There are a few days left to submit feedback on the portfolios shared during our Integrated System Plan Workshop 3. Your input plays an important role in shaping the final results, and comments are open through October 22, 2026.

View the portfolios and share feedback ➡️ OPPDCommunityConnect.com/ISP

10/16/2026

🎃 Don't ghost your takeout!

Finished with dinner? Give those empty pizza boxes, paper bags and accepted takeout containers a second life by recycling them!

Remember, food belongs in the compost or trash—not your recycling bin.

♻️ Find out what First Star Recycling accepts at firststarrecycling.com.

10/10/2026

💀 No tricks, just recycling treats!

Everyone knows pizza boxes are compostable - but if you don't have access to composting - put it in the recycle bin!

Just remove any pizza before putting the box in your recycling bin.

🍕 Enjoy the pizza. Recycle the box.

09/25/2026

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.

09/24/2026

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 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

09/21/2026

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