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Warm weather projects may mean households have a variety of items they need to get rid of. The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy provides guidance on how certain materials need to be disposed.
While cleaning or renovating a home or yard, it’s important to remember which items are banned from landfills statewide:
- Yard wastes (April 1 to Nov. 30)
- Waste oil
- Lead acid batteries (car batteries)
- Household appliances
- Unregulated hazardous waste (except household quantities)
- Waste tires
Many municipalities have tree limb and brush piles and are permitted by NDEE to burn these materials for volume reduction. Burning is only an option for tree branches and untreated wood – leaves, grass clippings, creosoted wood, treated lumber, painted wood and other building demolition materials cannot be burned.
Yard waste – leaves and grass clippings – are always prohibited in construction and demolition landfills but are accepted in municipal solid waste landfills from Dec. 1 to March 31 each year. These items can be composted as a means of waste reduction.
For those who have done some renovations, demolition waste can quickly accumulate. This material should be disposed of at a properly permitted landfill. It is also important to remember that painted or treated wood wastes cannot be burned at community sites.
If you’re replacing a household appliance, two options may be available. A web search could help locate appliance recyclers and salvagers who will accept these items. Sometimes a local appliance retailer may refer a business to collect old appliances when a customer purchases something new.
Another option is to contact your local landfill to see if they accept appliances, which they separate from other landfill materials. Landfills may charge a fee to take these objects, which they can then send to a recycler.
Remember, items like clothes washers and dryers, water heaters, heat pumps, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, refrigerators, freezers, trash compactors, dishwashers, conventional ovens, ranges, stoves and wood stoves are banned from landfills and need to be positioned upright to prevent the release of oil or freon. Freon in refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers is required to be recovered before disposal.
Waste tires must be disposed of through a permitted waste tire hauler. Nebraska communities sometimes hold scrap tires collections to help residents get rid of extra tires on their property. A recent NDEE press release has information on which communities will hold tire collections this year. But don’t let your tires sit around waiting for a collection event – tires can create fire hazards and act as a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes.
NDEE recommends disposing of household hazardous wastes (HHW) at an appropriate collection site. Lincoln and Omaha have facilities that collect household hazardous waste (Haz to Go and Under the Sink, respectively), and other Nebraska communities periodically hold HHW collections, partially funded by NDEE’s waste and litter grant programs. See if your town has its own HHW collection site, or check out our press release to see if your town will hold a HHW collection this year.
Lead acid batteries are not allowed at landfills and should be disposed of through a vendor or a service that specializes in recycling the batteries.
Home electronics are not banned from landfills. But those who wish to recycle their old electronics can search online for an e-waste recycler near them.
By disposing of these materials properly, Nebraskans can tidy up their residences while protecting the state’s environment.
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