Reduce, reuse, recycle. Why bother? We live such a chaotic lifestyle we need convenience to get everything accomplished in our families' daily lives. There are many reasons. Here are two:
Things Don't Decompose in the Landfill
We are building a mountain of garbage at the Bluff Road Landfill in northeast Lancaster County. The Bluff Road Landfill opened in October 1988. Since that time, over six million tons of garbage have been buried there. These photos show garbage that has been buried in the Bluff Road Landfill for 22 years. It was dug up while the City was drilling landfill gas recovery wells to capture methane gas generated from the waste.
Green grass and copy of a Thursday, May 18, 1989, Lincoln Journal Star
Saturday, July 8, 1989, Lincoln Journal Star
Millions of Dollars of Resources are Disposed of Each Year
In fiscal year 2010-2011, Lincoln and Lancaster County residents and businesses disposed of 304,918 tons of municipal solid waste. Nearly half of that (141,390 tons) was readily recyclable material. It cost over $2.9 million to dispose of this material in the landfill. Yet, these materials have a real secondary market value. Based on the average value recyclers were paying for these recyclables in the Midwest, an estimated $16.4 million could have been introduced into our local economy.
Can we continue to waste resources such as these by burying them in the landfill instead of recycling them?
| Type of Material | Percent of Municipal Solid Waste | Tons of Material Disposed by Lancaster County Residents | Recycled Material Index Prices March 2011* (tons) | Estimated Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardboard | 9.5% | 28,924 | $125.00 | $ 3,615,488 |
| Paper/Linerboard | 4.8% | 14,599 | ||
| Office Paper | 4.9% | 14,812 | $ 75.00 | $ 1,110,879 |
| Newsprint | 5.1% | 15,602 | $ 55.00 | $ 858,137 |
| Magazines | 3.9% | 11,770 | $ 75.00 | $ 882,772 |
| Plastic Containers | ||||
| PET #1 | 3.0% | 8,972 | $ 160.00 | $ 1,435,550 |
| HDPE #2 | 1.5% | 4,623 | $ 160.00 | $ 739,673 |
| Other Plastics | 3.1% | 9,550 | ||
| Clear Glass Containers | 2.3% | 7,087 | $ 10.00 | $ 70,865 |
| Brown Glass Containers | 1.2% | 3,650 | $ 5.00 | $ 18,249 |
| Green Glass Containers | 0.5% | 1,490 | $ 2.00 | $ 2,981 |
| Aluminum Cans | 1.0% | 3,041 | $ 1,360.00 | $ 4,136,331 |
| Tin Cans | 1.5% | 4,684 | $ 75.00 | $ 351,284 |
| Totals | 128,804 | TOTAL | $13,222,208 | |
- Solid Waste Disposal
- Recycling Information
- Aluminum Can Recyclers
- City Drop-Off Site Locations
- Computer Recycling
- Curbside Recyclers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- 2013 Guide to Recycling and Waste Reduction
- History of Recycling in Lincoln
- Mission and Goals
- Recycling for Businesses
- Recycling Locations By Type of Item
- Recycling Programs
- Second Life of Recyclables
- Public Education Campaigns
- Dr. R.E. Cycle Kids Challenge
- Documents
