Circleville, OH – December 2024
Circleville city council members recently toured Rumpke’s state-of-the-art recycling facility in Columbus, following the announcement that the company will now offer recycling services to the area. The visit highlighted the capabilities of the newly opened 226,000-square-foot Material Recovery Facility (MRF), which is touted as the largest and most technologically advanced of its kind in North America.
The $100 million Rumpke Recycling & Resource Center, which began operations on June 1, uses cutting-edge Machinex equipment, including ballistic separators, trommel equipment, 19 optical sorters, and other artificial intelligence-assisted technologies. The facility can process up to 250,000 tons of material annually, serving over 50 counties across Ohio.
Rumpke’s investment in this facility aims to boost recycling efforts in the region, catering to a population of approximately 3 million people and supporting the area’s growing commercial sector. Rumpke emphasized the importance of long-term planning to meet future demands, stating that the new MRF is part of the company’s commitment to investing in sustainable waste management solutions.
The facility’s capabilities are enhanced by its efficiency, with the ability to process 60 tons of recyclables per hour, up from the previous 30 tons at their older facility. Rumpke estimates that 98% of the recyclables processed at the MRF are recovered, with further sorting to minimize waste. The facility also boasts a 32,000-square-foot tipping floor for residential material and separate areas for commercial material and material sampling.
In addition to its recycling functions, the facility features an educational center for the public, a career center for training Rumpke employees in various programs, and a research and development center aimed at partnering with academic institutions like Ohio State University to improve recycling practices.
The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) has voiced its support for the new facility, noting that it will help divert more recyclable material from landfills. While 96% of homes in the region have access to curbside recycling, SWACO Executive Director Joe Lombardi pointed out that much of the material entering homes is still sent to landfills, highlighting the growing demand for better recycling solutions.
Rumpke’s new MRF is also a key step in meeting the evolving needs of the recycling industry, with the facility designed to accommodate future technological changes and shifts in material streams. By investing in advanced technology and expanding processing capacity, including the recent expansion into recycling clamshell plastic containers typically what you see in berry containers. New artificial intelligence and optic technology allows Rumpke to identify and sort plastic clamshells from other types of plastics within the recycling stream.
