Rumpke Processes One Billionth Pound of Recycling at Area Facility

CINCINNATI – Nov. 15, 2016 – Just in time for America Recycles Day, Rumpke processed its one billionth pound of material at its Cincinnati recycling facility.

The plant, which officially opened Nov. 15, 2013, processes about 1.3 million pounds of recyclables daily at a rate of 120,000 pounds per hour.

“We have one of the largest, most technologically advanced recycling facilities in the country – right here in Cincinnati,” said Brad Dunn, Cincinnati Recycling Manager. 

The region should also be proud about the continued growth in recycling participation. Since the plant opened, the facility has seen a 30 percent increase in the amount of material it processes daily at its facility.

“More municipalities are offering the curbside service to their residents; more businesses are adding recycling to meet sustainability goals, and more events are trying to divert material from the waste stream,” Dunn said. “We appreciate our customer’s enthusiasm and passion to increase recycling. We want their efforts to recycle to count.”

However, according to Dunn not everything that comes into the Rumpke facility can be recycled.

“In addition to the 1 billion pounds of recyclables – the plant processed more than 67,000 tons of material that can’t be recycled since 2013,” Dunn said. “We need to drive this number down to help keep recycling costs low and ensure all of the material that we do accept can be recycled.” 

Rumpke accepts the following items in its recycling program:

  • Plastic bottles and jugs (please empty, crush and reattach the lid)
  • Cartons
  • Glass bottles and jars (any color)
  • Aluminum and steel cans
  • Empty aerosol cans (with lids and tips removed)
  • Paperboard (cereal boxes, 12-pack containers, etc.)
  • Cardboard
  • A variety of paper products, including:
  • Office paper
  • Newspaper
  • Magazines
  • Junk mail and envelopes (with or without windows)
  • Telephone books
  • Paper grocery bags

Check out Rumpke's list of accepted recyclables.

Rumpke also encourages customers to tour its landfills and facilities to learn more about the recycling process.