What First Star Recycling does

First Star Recycling (legal entity Firstar Fiber, Inc. dba First Star Recycling, Inc.) is a privately held Nebraska-based materials recovery company founded in 1997 by Dale Gubbels. It operates Nebraska's largest single-stream Material Recovery Facility (MRF), a mechanical sorting operation launched in 1998 in Fremont and relocated to Omaha in 1999, with a satellite transfer station in Lincoln and roughly 110 employees across the two cities. The company is listed by Recycling Today among the top 75 MRFs in North America and markets close to 100,000 tons of recyclables annually to end users in the U.S. and internationally. Its customer base spans residential curbside programs (notably the City of Omaha, under a contract originating in 2004 that started in 2006 and was renewed in 2015 with 20-year total term), commercial and institutional generators, and municipalities in Nebraska, Iowa, and the broader Midwest.

The company's product architecture is platform-plus-divisions. The core MRF processes single-stream residential and commercial recyclables and provides zero-waste consulting, waste audits, and mill-direct brokerage of pre-sorted paper, cardboard, plastic, and other materials to material mills. Two downstream divisions extend the business into circular-economy manufacturing: the Plastics Recovery Facility (PRF), opened in March 2023 to process hard-to-recycle plastics collected through the Hefty ReNew (formerly Hefty EnergyBag) orange bag program — in which First Star was the first MRF in the nation to permanently incorporate the program, dating to a 2016 pilot with Dow, Reynolds, Recyclebank, and Systech — and Solutions Plastic Lumber, which uses a proprietary ReClaim™ process to convert mixed, hard-to-recycle plastics into durable lumber products for landscaping, synthetic turf nailer boards, pallets, and outdoor construction. Recent capital additions include aluminum can-capture sorting equipment (October 2025), foam densifiers funded by a $25,000 Foam Recycling Coalition grant (December 2025), and a Pacific marine debris pilot with Hawaii Pacific University (July 2025).

Revenue is generated through five primary streams: long-term municipal recycling processing contracts (managed services), mill-direct material brokerage (transaction fees), ReClaim™ plastic lumber product sales through retailers, distributors, and wholesalers (hardware sales), commercial orange bag sales, and zero-waste consulting and waste-audit professional services. The company is privately held, offers an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to team members, and is governed under a 2022 leadership transition in which Patrick Leahy succeeded founder Dale Gubbels as President & CEO, with Gubbels continuing as board chairperson.

Name

First Star Recycling

Legal name

Firstar Fiber, Inc. dba First Star Recycling, Inc.

Website

https://firststarrecycling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

First Star Recycling operates Nebraska's largest single-stream Material Recovery Facility, processing roughly 100,000 tons of recyclables annually for residential, commercial, and municipal customers across the Midwest, and runs the downstream Solutions Plastic Lumber (ReClaim™) division that turns hard-to-recycle plastics into durable lumber products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling and Resource Management

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Stream MRFs (Residential Curbside) (EUAIADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Single-Stream MRF Operations (Residential Curbside Sorting) (BPALADAA), Dual-Stream MRF Operations (Fiber/Container Sorting) (BPALADAB), Commercial & Industrial (C&I) MRFs (EUAIADAC)

Keywords

• Material recovery facility
• Single-stream recycling
• Plastic lumber manufacturing
• Recyclable material brokerage
• Zero waste consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Recycling processing services (municipal contracts): Long-term contracted recycling processing services for municipalities, including a City of Omaha contract awarded in 2004 (started 2006) with a 2015 contract running through 2020 with automatic renewals for a total of 20 years. Processes recyclables for businesses and communities throughout the Midwest.
2. Mill-direct material brokerage: Brokers sale of pre-sorted recyclable materials (paper, cardboard, plastic, other) from large-volume generators directly to material mills/repurposing centers, maximizing customer return. Almost any recyclable material can be brokered if volumes justify direct pickup.
3. ReClaim™ plastic lumber sales (Solutions Plastic Lumber): Sales of branded ReClaim™ plastic lumber products made from hard-to-recycle plastics for applications including synthetic turf nailer boards, plastic pallets, outdoor-grade landscaping/construction lumber. Company is actively seeking retailers, distributors, and wholesalers.
4. Commercial orange bag program sales: Sells commercial-sized orange bags (30-gallon and 55-gallon) directly to businesses whose recycling is processed by Firstar Fiber; account managers onboard commercial customers.
5. Commercial waste management / zero-waste consulting services: Waste audits, employee training and engagement, and tailored recycling program design for retailers, offices, institutions, manufacturers, venues, and municipalities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

First Star Recycling operates Nebraska's largest single-stream Material Recovery Facility (MRF), processing residential and commercial recyclables from Omaha, Lincoln, and surrounding Midwest communities. The company brokers pre-sorted materials directly to mills and operates a downstream Plastics Recovery Facility that converts hard-to-recycle plastics (collected via the Hefty ReNew orange bag program) into feedstock for its proprietary ReClaim™ plastic lumber product line.

Product overview

First Star Recycling (Firstar Fiber, Inc. dba First Star Recycling, Inc.) operates Nebraska's largest Material Recovery Facility (MRF) under a platform-plus-divisions architecture. The core service is the single-stream Mechanical MRF Operations — the first of its kind in Nebraska — providing Residential Recycling (curbside for Omaha, Lincoln, and surrounding communities), Commercial Recycling (tailored programs for retailers, offices, institutions, manufacturers, entertainment venues, and municipalities), Zero Waste Consulting, and Marketing & Brokerage (mill-direct material sales). Building on the core MRF, two downstream divisions extend the business into circular-economy manufacturing: (1) the Plastics Recovery Facility (PRF), opened March 2023, which processes hard-to-recycle plastics collected via the Hefty® ReNew® Orange Bag Program into feedstock; and (2) Solutions Plastic Lumber (ReClaim™), the in-house lumber product line that transforms those plastics into durable boards, turf nailer boards, pallets, and outdoor-grade lumber. Additional offerings include the Foam Densifier Recycling Service (for EPS foam), Project School Boards (educational/community program), and the new Aluminum Can Capture sorting equipment. Together, these offerings form a fully integrated local circular model: Local collection → Local processing → Local manufacturing → Local products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Solutions Plastic Lumber: First Star Recycling's division that transforms hard-to-recycle plastics (collected through the Hefty ReNew/orange bag program and other streams) into durable, long-lasting ReClaim™ plastic lumber products used in landscaping, construction, turf installation, and other applications.
• ReClaim™ Lumber

Products and services

• Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Operations First Star Recycling's central single-stream mechanical sorting operation, the largest in Nebraska. Markets close to 100,000 tons annually to end users throughout the U.S. and internationally, located at the Omaha facility (10330 I Street, Suite 100) with a satellite Lincoln recovery facility.
• Residential Recycling Curbside single-stream recycling collection processing for residents of Omaha, Lincoln, and surrounding communities. Single-stream process allows all recyclables in one bin with no sorting required, including hard-to-recycle plastics collected via the orange bag program.
• Commercial Recycling Tailored waste management and recycling programs for businesses including retailers, offices, institutions, manufacturers, entertainment/sporting venues, and municipalities. Services include waste audits, employee training and engagement, and customized recycling program design to recover value through material rebates.
• Zero Waste Consulting Consulting services to help companies become zero-waste businesses, including waste audits, program design, and employee training to reduce landfill contributions, save money on resource management, and improve environmental impact.
• Marketing & Brokerage (Mill-Direct Brokerage) Mill-direct brokerage service that takes pre-sorted and packaged recyclable materials directly to material mills. First Star can broker the sale of paper, cardboard, plastic products, and other recyclables to mills or repurposing centers, helping businesses maximize return on materials they would otherwise have thrown away.
• Hefty ReNew Orange Bag Program Collection program for residential and commercial customers to divert hard-to-recycle plastics from the landfill. Orange bags are collected via curbside, drop-off sites, on-site collection at First Star's Omaha facility, or by haulers in the Omaha metro and Lincoln areas. Materials are processed into Solutions Plastic Lumber products.
• Solutions Plastic Lumber (ReClaim™) Durable plastic lumber product line (branded ReClaim™) made 100% from hard-to-recycle plastics. Transforms mixed plastics with no viable aftermarket use into high-performance lumber that is strong, weather-resistant, and requires little to no maintenance. Applications include ReClaim Turf Board for synthetic turf installations, plastic pallets, outdoor-grade landscaping/construction lumber, raised garden beds, and nailer boards. Sold through retailers, distributors, and wholesalers.
• Foam Densifier Recycling Service EPS foam recycling service that compacts polystyrene foam packaging (cups, take-out containers, egg cartons, packaging foam) into transportable foam blocks or ingots sold to processors and manufactured into insulation boards and plastic lumber. Expands foam recycling access to 400,000+ residents across Lincoln and Omaha.

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. The largest North American waste and environmental services company and operator of numerous MRFs; directly comparable as a national-scale competitor and potential counterparty on municipal recycling contracts like the City of Omaha relationship that First Star holds.
• Republic Services, Inc. Major U.S. recycling and solid-waste services provider with extensive MRF network; directly comparable in operating single-stream MRFs, municipal contract bidding, and material brokerage at a national scale that regional players like First Star compete against.
• GFL Environmental Inc. Large North American diversified environmental services company with solid waste, recycling, and MRF operations across multiple regions; comparable as a scaled competitor bidding for municipal recycling processing contracts and operating single-stream facilities.

Direct peers

• Casella Waste Systems, Inc. Regional vertically integrated solid-waste, recycling, and resource-management operator in the Northeast U.S. with similar municipal contract exposure, single-stream MRF operations, and material brokerage activities — closely comparable in business model and customer mix.
• Recology: Employee-owned (ESOP) integrated waste and recycling collection and processing company operating on the U.S. West Coast; closely comparable in mission, ESOP ownership structure, MRF processing, and zero-waste consulting focus.

Regional players

• Rumpke Consolidated Companies: Family-owned regional waste and recycling company headquartered in Ohio serving the Midwest and Mid-South U.S. with single-stream MRF operations and municipal contracts; directly comparable in scale, geography, and vertically integrated services to First Star.
• GreenWaste Recovery: California-based integrated recycling, solid waste, and Zero Waste services company with MRF operations, commercial recycling, and zero-waste consulting; closely comparable in service mix and zero-waste consulting orientation, though geographically distinct.

Emerging players

• Trex Company, Inc. Leading manufacturer of wood-alternative composite decking and outdoor products made largely from recycled film and plastic; comparable as the most established branded player in the recycled-plastic lumber end market that First Star's ReClaim™ product line targets.
• Tangent Technologies: Manufacturer of recycled-plastic lumber and HDPE profiles used in outdoor furniture, site amenities, and marine applications; comparable as a direct competitor in the recycled-plastic lumber category where First Star's ReClaim™ competes.

Others

• Schnitzer Steel Industries (Radius Recycling): Large U.S. metal recycler that purchases and processes ferrous and non-ferrous scrap; comparable as a downstream end-market buyer of the metals (including UBCs) that First Star recovers through its MRF and new aluminum can capture equipment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/firstar-fiber-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Star Recycling