Where your stuff actually goes after we haul it

I sort every load we haul. Not because a policy says we have to — because I want to know what we're throwing away and what we don't have to. Here's what actually happens after we leave your property.

Step one: sorting at the truck

Before anything gets loaded, I walk it at the truck and make a call: can this be used again? Furniture in reasonable shape, working appliances, clothing, household goods — these go into a separate section of the load earmarked for donation. The rest gets sorted further: metal to recycling, electronics to e-waste, and everything else to disposal.

What gets donated

Usable goods go to nonprofits in the Omaha and Bellevue area. We work with local organizations that can actually put things to use — not everything that shows up gets accepted, but we try before we assume. Furniture, dishes, clothing, small appliances, books — if it's in reasonable shape, it has a shot at a second life.

What gets recycled

• Metal — scrap metal from appliances, bed frames, wire, old equipment
• Electronics — computers, TVs, phones, cables go to e-waste recycling
• Cardboard — pulled from every load before disposal

What goes to the landfill

What's left after donation and recycling goes to a licensed disposal facility. I want to be honest: not everything can be diverted. Mattresses, broken items, mixed waste, and materials that can't be accepted elsewhere go to the landfill. I don't pretend otherwise. But sorting first means the landfill is a last resort, not a first stop.

Why we do it this way

The easy thing would be to throw it all in the truck and drive to the dump. It's faster. But I grew up watching perfectly good things get thrown away because it was easier than finding them a home. Doing this job is an opportunity to do it differently, and I take that seriously every time we load a truck.