Recycling For Our Children

The Trust's investments in the technology of recycling has kept more than 7 million tons of glass, paper, aluminum, steel and cardboard out of landfill sites. This diversion represents a savings of more than $150 million in landfill fees, while creating jobs and economic opportunity on the local level.

One example of Trust-funded recycling projects is the AlleyCat, a collection container made from recycled steel and plastic developed by a company that made its name manufacturing a Nebraska icon, was one of the first projects funded in 1994.

Dempster Industries, located in Beatrice, realized that small community recycling programs had few choices to efficiently collect recyclables. They had a vision of a trailer that could be hauled by any pickup truck, and a bin system that could be handled with a forklift, equipment that communities would already have on hand. The trailer itself would be manufactured from recycled plastic and steel, keeping nearly 1,200 pounds of plastics out of a landfill for every trailer manufactured.

The grant paid $100,000 to Dempster Industries for research and development. In return, Dempster donated the first ten prototypes to communities in Southeast Nebraska. Now, through additional grants to communities, nearly 80 trailers have been put in service.

Audio clips: Dave Suey Audio (175 Kb)

Dave Suey, president of Dempster Industries, says, "Recycling helps everyone. It helps the entire community because number one, landfills are very costly and it's a serious problem. Most people, once they understand recycling, realize the almost patriotic need for it."

Twenty community trailer projects were evaluated after one year of operation. From an investment of $264,430, the projects reported an increase of 2,234 tons of recyclables, savings in landfill fees of $53,657 and a match of $369,514. The expected lifespan of the trailers is ten to fifteen years.

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