ELKHORN, NE. — Omaha's busiest recycling site, located just west of Olde Town Elkhorn, is struggling with illegally dumping — and neighbors who rely on it are feeling the impact.
Chairs, tables, trash bags and wood pallets have been left at the site despite not being acceptable items to drop off. The buildup leaves little room for residents trying to drop off recyclables.
"It's definitely frustrating," said Kiley Cameron, an Elkhorn resident who uses the site.
The frustration is felt across northwest Omaha.
"It's frustrating," said Hannah Lawson, a Bennington resident who also uses the site.
"It's a little bit frustrating because it's only Tuesday and most of the bins are full," said Rachel Bonar, a northwest Omaha resident who uses the site.
When bins fill up, boxes and other recyclables can't be picked up. Items that don't qualify — like desks — are still being dropped off.
Lawson said the overflow affects her home, too.
"Stuff backs up back home for me, and it's just a vicious cycle," Lawson said.
A camera tower watches the site around the clock. Madeline Ferber, the City of Omaha's recycling coordinator, said the surveillance serves more than one purpose.
"Not only does that give us the opportunity to catch and prevent illegal dumping, it also gives us the opportunity to see if the site is being serviced regularly enough, or if it is overflowing," Ferber said.
The city works with police and the sheriff's office to issue fines for illegal dumping.
"The fine is up to $500," Ferber said.
Recyclables collected at the site are taken to a plant where they are processed.
"It goes through a series of both manual and automated sorting equipment," Ferber said.
Residents have different ideas about how to fix the problem.
Bonar suggested expanding access across the city.
"The city could look into more locations for recycling so that this one particular spot isn't so overwhelmed with so much recycling," Bonar said.
Cameron said the responsibility also falls on the people using the site.
"It's more on us. Things would run a lot smoother if we all did our part and broke things down. Just takes a little extra time," Cameron said.
