June 2024

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2024 Fall Conference

By Allison Majerus

Registration is now open for our 2024 fall conference! This year the conference will be held on Tuesday, September 17 in Lincoln, Nebraska at the Embassy Suites (1040 P St). Check out our agenda at a glance below to get a sneak peek at our sessions. More details on sessions and our keynote speaker coming soon!

If you’d like to register early for a reduced price (through July 31), sponsor the event, or participate as a vendor, please go to our website for more information!

As always, we want to highlight the work of awesome NRC members with our awards, so please complete the nomination form if you would like to nominate someone for one of our awards. They are as follows:

Commonwealth Award
End Market of the Year Award
Green Team of the Year Award
Advocacy Champion Award
Waste Diversion Project/Product/Service of the Year Award
And Member of the Year, which NRC staff decides.

You can find award descriptions here.

Nominate Someone

Farewell NRC

By Haley Nolde

The past few years I’ve had the privilege of leading the Nebraska Recycling Council to new heights. We've accomplished significant goals and addressed challenges related to legislation, problem materials, behavior change, infrastructure, and so much more. It’s been a whirlwind of research, collaboration, growth, and positivity. I was able to work with hundreds of individuals from environmental educators to state senators and will miss this role immensely.

I’m happy to share that I’ve been accepted into the Sustainability Master’s Program at the University of South Dakota. I also accepted the Sustainability Coordinator position for the University! I’m excited to be back in an academic setting and further my education where my research will center around effectiveness of pro-environmental behavior.

Thank you to my staff, the Board of Directors, colleagues, friends, and the State of Nebraska. This has been one of the most rewarding and valuable times of my life. I’m confident the organization will continue to be a leader in sustainable material management. I hope the ideas and projects I catalyzed will remain useful. My last day as Executive Director is June 30th but I will be with NRC part time through 2024. Please don't hesitate to reach out and stay in touch!

All the best,

Member Highlight: RecycleMax INC

By Maddie Ferber

With four founders and a wealth of experience in the IT industry, RecycleMax is a brand new company seeking to reduce the environmental impact of tech through data security. ITAD (IT Asset Disposition - the process used to responsibly dispose of outdated equipment) is a relatively new industry, with the very first standards set by the DOD back in 2005. Although still under a year old, RecycleMax has big plans to become an industry leader, setting a standard not only for environmental responsibility, but also in establishing strong reputations for trustworthiness.

Welcome Interns!

This spring NRC welcomed two new interns to the team. They'll be learning the ins and outs of nonprofit work and the recycling world while assisting grant projects. Welcome Jordan Lovely and Marty Stumpf!

Jordan Lovely

Communications and Outreach Intern

Jordan joined NRC in May 2024. She is currently attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a focus in Management. Her goal within NRC is to assist with all communication outreach projects related to recycling and to help with the durable medical equipment events. In her free time, Jordan loves being outside, going for walks, enjoying music, and socializing. She is excited for the opportunity to enhance education on recycling topics.

Marty Stumpf

ArcGIS and Data Management Intern

Marty joined the Nebraska Recycling Council in May of 2024 as an ArcGIS and Data Management intern. He is a senior at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, studying geography and political science. From a young age, environmental and sustainability issues have shaped his aspirations in life. Marty is passionate about promoting gardening, recycling, and sustainable land use. He is excited to grow from his experience at the Nebraska Recycling Council. In his spare time, Marty enjoys spending time outdoors, listening to and playing music, and learning new things.

Compost Corner

By Carina Olivetti

Is your backyard compost ready to use this gardening season? If you are like me, you have some compost ready but just not enough for all the plantings you have in mind. Maybe your friends can share some of their black gold with you? Do you have a farm and need large quantities of compost for your fields? Or are you just curious where there is quality compost available near you? The following is by no means an exhaustive list of Nebraska’s locally produced compost available but it’s enough to get you started. Many of Nebraska’s solid waste landfills or transfer stations produce compost made from residential yard waste. Other composters on this list have gone through the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy permitting process to produce larger amounts of compost with more diverse feedstocks like food waste and manure.

Nebraska has great potential for growing its organics recycling industry. We are a large agriculture state with lots of biomass materials that can be composted as well as food waste that is predominately being landfilled. This doesn’t mean we should compost everything at all costs, but it is one tool we can employ to divert organic waste from landfills while creating a soil building product. When it makes sense geographically to start a composting facility and the carbon footprint of hauling the material stays low then I encourage any entrepreneurs to think about entering the composting industry. Always check local zoning and NDEE regulations before breaking ground. The wonderful thing about composting is that it can be successful at all different scales. Calling all vermicomposters! Yes, you can buy bagged compost at many big box stores but let’s support our local compost producers first!

If you know of other Nebraska composters who want to be part of Nebraska’s Compost Directory, please contact colivetti@nrcne.org. (Hyperlinks are only included with the compost producers who have consented to my promotion of them.)

Compost Directory