Downtown Omaha is going green for spring.
Mayor Jim Suttle was at 11th and Farnam Streets Monday afternoon to unveil the first two of 50 recycling and trash bins that are being placed around downtown.
“Let's see if we can grow this,” Suttle said.
The bins are replacing traditional trash cans downtown. Each one is about 4 ½ feet tall, weighs about 100 pounds and is fitted with a GPS tracking chip. The bins have one side for recyclable materials and one side for trash.
Plastic, aluminum and paper products can be put in the cans. Glass bottles are not accepted.
The city will evaluate the program at the end of this year. If it's a success, more bins could be placed in other areas with busy pedestrian traffic such as Dundee, Benson, Florence and South Omaha.
One of the measures of success will be how people use the bins. City officials want to make sure trash and recyclables are put in the appropriate sides of the can.
“We'll see what works and what doesn't,” said Marty Grate, the city's street maintenance engineer.
The program has no cost to taxpayers. The Public Works Department will incorporate collections from the bins into its routes, Grate said.
Free Green Can Nebraska provided the bins to the city free of charge and will collect fees from businesses who serve as sponsors. In exchange, sponsors can put advertising on the bins.
Sponsorship costs — depending on a bin's location — are between $350 and $500 per year. ConAgra Foods, Union Pacific, Atchley Ford, CBS Home Real Estate, Miller Electric, SAC Federal Credit Union and the DLR Group are among the sponsors.
Each bin is fitted with a GPS tracking chip, so city workers can keep track of the bins and track them in the event of theft.
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