KEARNEY — The Kearney Sanitation Department earned the 2023 Green Team of the Year Award from the Nebraska Recycling Council and was recognized for the achievement during the Kearney City Council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
Steve Hart, Sanitation Supervisor, said the award highlights, “what we have done here for a long time.” He also said it was a “blessing,” to work with past and present co-workers and city administration.
The steps Kearney has taken when it comes to recycling has made it “the envy of most communities in Nebraska,” Hart said.
Around 8,000 Kearney homes participate in the curbside recycling program and the recycling drop off points around town are highly utilized, Hart said. A volunteer who monitored the drop off points said there were more than 20 different counties that used them.
“The residential recyclables, drop-off boxes, and the corrugated cardboard are processed at the recycling building. Currently the Recycling Building processes 335 tons of material each month,” according to the Kearney Sanitation website.
Hart said that 215 semi loads of recyclables are shipped each year from Kearney to points across the United States.
It was noted by several city council members that the fact that the sorting of recycled material is handled by the city staff and not by residents, is a huge boost to participation in the program.
When asked by the council what Hart would like to share with residents regarding recycling, he noted that Styrofoam is not recyclable and they are not able to accept rigid plastics, such as vinyl siding, at the moment.
Hart said they hope to be able to acquire the equipment to granulate rigid plastics and be able to sell this in the future.
It was also noted that with the rise in popularity of online shipping, the amount of cardboard that the recycling center processes has increased markedly in past years, while paper products have dropped.
Shauna Petzold, the Household Hazardous Waste Coordinator, also appeared speaking about the program.
The Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) items accepted are considered flammable, toxic, corrosive, or reactive and need to be kept out of the city landfill.
“The average home can accumulate as much as 100 pounds of HHW per year. HHW can be found in all areas of the home including the kitchen, bathroom, garage, workshop, and garden area,” per the Kearney Sanitation website.
Petzold said they accept a great deal of use motor oil and are working to keep batteries of any kind out of the Kearney Landfill as they can cause fires.
The HHW drop off sites include the Kearney Area Household Hazardous Waste Facility, 3620 Box Butte Ave. and the Public Works Building, 1919 15th Ave.
Petzold also said they operate the Restore, located at the HHW Facility.
“Items that are taken to the HHW facility that are in good, usable condition are then put into the “Restore” for anyone to come and take, free of charge. This not only helps the patrons by not having to purchase these materials, but it also helps the HHW Program, cutting down on disposal costs,” per the Kearney Sanitation website.
The Restore is open from April to October, Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Friday 7 a.m.- noon.
Petzold said that Kearney residents are enthusiastic about recycling and help to set a positive example for their neighbors.
It was noted that Kearney Sanitation earned the 2023 Green Team of the Year award from the Nebraska Recycling Council and was presented during this year’s Fall Conference.
Moving onto other agenda items the city council considered a redevelopment project submitted by Kearney Partnership, a non-profit consisting of the Economic Development Council of Buffalo County, the Kearney Visitor Bureau and the Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce, for Redevelopment Area Eight.
The Kearney Partnership is considering construction of a 12,400 square foot single level office building.
The building will be located at 220 11th Ave. The current owner of the land is Talmadge Jam, LLC, but they are in the process of selling it to Kearney Partnership, according to the City of Kearney.
City staff recommended approval of the project, which the city council in turn also voted to approve.
An open claim with the Nebraska Public Power District in the amount of $120,144.58 was also approved.
There were 11 items on the consent agenda which were also approved.
During reports, City Manager Mike Morgan said paving work on Talmadge St. is proceeding quickly and the work on the Yanney Pavilion is also ongoing.