Sustainability: Circular Economy

A circular economy, according to The Ohio State University Sustainability Institute, is defined as, “converting wastes into valuable resources throughout the supply chain to shift toward a closed-loop economy in which resources are conserved and environmental impacts are minimized.” As a leader in recycling and complete solid waste solutions, Rumpke is not just playing a vital role in our region’s circular economy, we’re building it.

Recycling and reuse activities account for approximately 757,000 jobs, generating $36.6 billion in wages and $6.7 billion in tax revenues, according to the EPA. Take that number and figure in the jobs created by recycling equipment manufacturers, the manufacturers that take delivery on the processed recyclables Rumpke creates and the retailers that employ people to sell the goods to consumers, and you have a pretty powerful circular economy.

Based in the Midwest, Rumpke is poised to partner with end users right here in the heartland. In fact, more than 80 percent of the materials that Rumpke collects and processes for recycling go back to companies in Ohio fueling local jobs, payroll and tax revenues to further bolster local economies.

Most of Rumpke’s recycling is sold to household names that you might be familiar with such as Phoenix Plastics: Greif, Inc., Axium Packaging, Inc., Pratt Industries, Purecycle, Anchor Glass, ADS (Advanced Drainage Systems),and O-I (Owens-Illinois) just to name a few.

On its website, the US EPA indicates there are 542 operational landfill-gas-toenergy projects in the United States and 444 landfills that are good candidates for projects (as of September 2024). Rumpke operates 16 landfills and in 2024 boasted seven landfill gas to energy systems, with construction of two more systems underway. Rumpke understands the value that these systems bring to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while creating useable energy for 70,000 homes and businesses, revenue and jobs.

Rumpke was one of the first to employ landfill gas to energy technology in 1986 when we teamed with Montauk to open a gas recovery system at Rumpke Sanitary Landfill in Cincinnati. Today, Rumpke is eager to continue best practices and the tradition of ensuring the most beneficial options for society’s waste.

Landfill-gas-to-energy projects, much like recycling, have a positive effect on our economy. Each operation requires personnel for operations, maintenance and management of gas collection systems, processing facilities and power generation equipment. Each gas recovery operator employs hundreds of construction and specialized professionals, to engineer, build, operate and market these operations. To date, Rumpke works with five landfill-gas-recovery operators and employs hundreds of personnel to work on landfill gas recovery.