As the Fourth of July approaches, Greenfiber, a local insulation manufacturer in Norfolk, is urging the public to dispose of used fireworks responsibly and not in the recycling trailer it provides for paper and cardboard collection.
The company, which has operated a community recycling initiative since 2014, recently noticed a concerning trend: Used fireworks debris showing up in its public recycling trailer.
“Every year we try to make it very public knowledge — don’t dispose of fireworks,” said Alex Piper, a supply chain lead at Greenfiber. “Obviously, fire and paper don’t really go well together.”
The trailer, located at 3421 Old Highway 8 across from Off Road Ranch, has been available 24/7 to the public for about two years. It was introduced in 2023 after Greenfiber had to remove its popular community recycling bins because of excessive contamination from trash. The bins had been a free service for more than a decade.
“We had to remove the bins from the community, not only because of the cost, but because we were getting a lot of trash,” Piper said. “It was costing more money than what it was worth, essentially, because we still had to dispose of the trash.”
Although the trailer has helped preserve recycling access for Norfolk residents, misuse could again jeopardize the program. More than just an annoyance, fireworks mixed with paper pose a significant fire hazard to Greenfiber’s operations.
“We want to make sure that we don’t get fireworks that still have some sort of fire or some sort of embers going that would essentially spread to the entire trailer and cause a fire,” they said. “When that (material) gets into the building, it goes through an additional shredding process. So any sparks can then light off a fire in the entire process, from the shredder all the way through to fiberizer and chemical mills.”
Piper referenced a recent fire at Mason City Recycling in Iowa as an example. In January, Mason City Recycling had a fire at its facility, and it was a total loss of the business. Greenfiber is trying to avoid a similar event here in Norfolk.
Besides fireworks, Greenfiber also is seeing general trash dumped both inside and around the trailer. If the misuse continues, the company may be forced to shut down the drop-off point altogether.
“If we continue to see the bags of trash, it’s going to cost us money to dispose of that, and then it’s not going to be worth having the recycling program,” Piper said. “We don’t want to necessarily hurt the community or make anyone upset, but at the same time, we have to do what’s best for us as a company, to protect the product that we have.”
The company remains hopeful that public cooperation will help preserve the service, which benefits both the community and the business. For now, Greenfiber is simply asking residents to be mindful of what they put in the trailer.
“Let’s keep the good things that we have in the community,” the representative said. “Recycling helps the general public, it also helps us as a company and it keeps a good company in business. So definitely, wins all the way around, and we want to keep that open to everyone where possible.
For more information about Greenfiber, visit its website at Greenfiber.com.