Rumpke is dedicated to keeping neighborhoods beautiful, which is why we offer hassle-free and reliable curbside pickup for homeowners. Contact us today and we’ll be happy to help confirm the best recycling service for plastic materials, or read our curbside guidelines for more information.
Plastic Recycling
Rumpke has made significant investments in recycling technology to improve accessibility, making it convenient for homeowners and businesses alike.
We offer curbside recycling and public recycling drop-offs for customers in throughout the Midwest.
We also offer single-stream recycling so that materials don’t need to be separated into different bins for pickup.
Why it’s Important to Recycle Plastic
The average American generates nearly one ton of trash a year, making it more important than ever to recycle. Households that commit to a recycling program help reduce landfill waste.
Discarded plastic resists decomposition, and has a presumed life span of over 500 years. On the other hand, when plastic is recycled correctly, it can be repurposed beyond a single use.
Learn more about Rumpke recycling programs, and how you can make your recycling efforts count.
Types of Plastic That Can Be Recycled
Our single-stream program also makes it easier to manage all acceptable items to recycle, such as recycling glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans, and steel cans and lids. Rumpke recycling centers can accommodate an array of plastic items.
Bottles
Bottles that have a small mouth and wider base such as soda bottles, laundry detergent bottles, water bottles, shampoo bottles, and contact solution bottles
Jugs
Plastic jugs that have a small mouth and wider base, such as milk jugs, water jugs, and jugs for laundry detergents and cleaning solutions.
Tubs
Plastic tubs for butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, Jell-O, and fruit slices would fall into the tub category. (Lids should be reattached prior to recycling.)
Cups
Fast food beverage cups, coffee cups, and Dixie cups. (Does not apply to every location, be sure to check beforehand.)
Plastic clamshell containers are commonly used for packaging food, retail products, groceries, and takeout items. Currently, clamshell recycling is only available to customers serviced by the Rumpke Recycling & Resource Center. This includes customers within Greater Columbus and Central Ohio, Greater Cleveland. northern Ohio, southeast Ohio and West Virginia.
Clamshell recycling is not yet available in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois or Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio. As Rumpke continues to upgrade its other recycling facilities with new technology and end markets continue to expand, you can expect similar recycling options to become available in other areas as well.
Plastic Recycling Tips
- Keep screw-on plastic lids attached to beverage bottles, or toss them in the trash. They’re too small to recycle on their own and can disrupt sorting machines.
- Rinse containers like sauce jars and milk jugs before recycling. Contamination decreases the likelihood that plastic will be recycled.
- Avoid trying to recycle plastic grocery bags, wrappers, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, foam egg cartons, polystyrene, or motor oil.
Plastic Recycling Options
Residential
For local homeowners, check and see if you're eligible for residential recycling services. We also offer designated drop-off locations in certain communities for recyclable materials, including recyclable plastic.
Learn More
Businesses
Businesses should contact us to start with a commercial recycling audit so our knowledgeable teams can help you determine which materials you can and should recycle. After that, Rumpke will send your business right-sized containers to meet your recycling needs.
Learn More
Hefty ReNew™ Program
In portions of our service area, residents can also participate in the Hefty ReNew™ program, allowing them to recycle additional plastics, including plastic bags and Styrofoam. Learn more by visiting Hefty ReNew™.
Recycling Audit
Everything starts with our professional recycling audit to determine your needs before developing a comprehensive waste and recycling plan. We’ll examine your current recycling practice, perform an audit, and then analyze the data for opportunities to improve your process and help save your business money.
Plastic Recycling FAQ
Where can I recycle my plastic?
Can plastic water bottles be recycled?
Yes, all bottled water containers are made to be recycled! Companies can reuse the plastic to make new products.
Can I put plastic in my recycling bin?
Be sure to check our Rumpke’s list of acceptable items for recycling, which includes plastic bottles, plastic jugs, plastic tubs, and plastic cups. Rumpke offers single-stream recycling so that materials don’t need to be separated into different bins for pickup. Just be sure to rinse out any plastic food and drink containers to eliminate food getting mixed into the stream.
What’s the best way to recycle plastic?
Families and business owners looking to maximize their recycling efforts should sign up for service with Rumpke. Our single-stream programs focus on all recyclable materials – glass recycling, plastic recycling, and more – not just individual pre-sorted materials. Many communities also have public recycling drop-off boxes to make recycling easier.
This comprehensive approach helps divert the greatest volume of recyclable materials from landfills.
Do I have to sort plastic by type?
Sorting plastic by type is no longer necessary! Recyclable plastics are bottles, jugs, tubs, and cups. Unlike dual-stream recycling programs, Rumpke’s single-stream program allows residential recyclables to be mixed together and sorted later at an advanced recycling facility.
What plastic cannot be recycled?
While many material manufacturers are working to produce only recyclable plastic, not all plastics are recyclable in our recycling program. Currently, we are only able to accept plastic bottles, jugs, tubs, and cups.
Contaminants on recyclables is another reason that items–and large batches of material from the same shipment–are often denied from the recycling process. Unwashed food containers, greasy pizza boxes, plastic grocery bags, toothpaste tubes, paper towels, styrofoam, and toilet paper are items that are often mistaken as being recyclable materials, but instead disrupt the entire recycling system.
Recycling Education
Interested in educating yourself further on waste and recycling processes? Click below and continue learning! At Rumpke, we believe educating our community is the key to working together for a sustainable future.
You can even contact us if you have any specific questions or concerns about Rumpke's recycling services.