Serving the Loup Valley for 142 Years
New Plant Promises Longer Life
for Regional Landfill
Lana Merani (l) of the Nebraska Environmental Trust and LCLA General Manager Jeff Seldon (r) perform the ribbon cutting ceremony to open the new recycling plant on Feb. 19.
By Kate Wolf
Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, was the last sunny, warm, spring-like day before Mother Nature gave us a brief reminder of what winter in Nebraska looks like. At the Loup Central Landfill Association (LCLA) south of Elba, LCLA representatives from, state agencies, others from all walks of life and from surrounding communities gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony that would have an impact on all their lives. They came to see the enormous new metal recycling plant, shining in the sun like a bright new penny. Its five massive doors, measuring 20 feet wide by 30 feet tall, welcomed visitors in to witness the birth of a facility that will not only meet or exceed environmental industry standards, but extend the life of the Loup Central Landfill for decades to come.
The first thing you notice is how well-maintained the entire area is. There are no flying plastic bags, no huge eyesores to greet you on the way to the new plant. In earlier times, places like this would have simply been called a “dump”…but there is nothing remotely “dump-like” about the Loup Central Landfill. No, this is a state-of-the-art, environmentally responsible, economically critical part of Central Nebraska’s infrastructure. The next thing you notice is how huge the new facility is. It dominates the landscape as far as the eye can see and all you can say is just….wow.
Now, after almost five years in the planning stages and approximately 10 months of active construction, the new metal recycling facility has become a reality. The building will be used to separate all types of metal from select loads of incoming waste materials. Currently, almost 1.5 percent of daily tonnage is now being diverted from landfill placement. By sorting these different metals and other materials, a lot of the incoming waste may then go into their construction demolition site, such as lumber and other trash-free building materials. This will not only extend the life of the landfill but also leads to opportunities to process certain types of cardboard and wood waste for use in composting operations as a source of carbon.
Jeff Seldon, General Manager of the Loup Central Landfill facility addressed the crowd of well-wishers acknowledging all who made this dream a reality.
“A huge thank you to Hackel Construction,” Seldon began. “Thank you so much for building our facility. Your leadership for your incredible team should be the envy of every contractor. Your team members who constructed this facility are world class people. Once again, thank you for all your work and partnership on this project.”
“Our regional landfill impacts nearly 20,000 residents in our service area,” Seldon commented in closing. “This grant will help prolong the life of LCLA and provide assured disposal needs for this area long into the future.”
To read the complete story, pick up this week's issue of The Ord Quiz!
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