Sustainability: Stories

Rumpke’s sustainability and diversion team is comprised of experts who work with larger industrial customers to determine how to best meet their waste reduction and recycling goals. This group targets traditional single-stream recycling, such as aluminum and steel cans, paper, plastic and glass, as well as other bulk recycling, such as fibers, plastics, tires and e-waste. Rumpke’s team assists postindustrial manufacturers, distribution centers, printers, health systems and others in identifying their specific waste streams and then puts the right training and recycling receptacles such as compactors and containers, in place to handle their materials and track progress toward their specific sustainability goals.

Children’s Hospital

The engineering and environmental services department at one of the nation’s largest Children’s hospitals called upon Rumpke to evaluate their current sustainability practices and create and implement a plan to reach their recycling goals.

After a thorough assessment, Rumpke was able to trade their municipal solid waste compactor for a single-stream recycling container. Our team also identified opportunities to enhance employee education. After hosting several teams for a tour at the Rumpke Recycling & Resource Center and the implementation of new practices to maximize recycling recovery, the hospital has significantly increased recycling, diverting more than 250 tons from the local landfill.

Currently, we are partnering on a recycling capture program focusing on guest areas such as the cafés and food courts throughout the hospital campus, as well as the children’s discovery space. The program will involve eight 35-gallon, single-stream recycling receptacles. These efforts are expected to generate an additional 225 tons of recycling.

With these additional efforts underway, the estimated tonnage diverted through the hospital’s campuswide program is expected to reach as much as 750 tons annually.

And more waste diversion is in the works. The team is already putting an action plan together for the hospital’s new $1.2 billion acute care facility, which is currently under construction.

The Tech Firm

Rumpke met with a Northern Kentucky tech group in 2024. The firm’s objective could not have been clearer—throw away nothing! Rumpke was able to perform a baseline analysis of the waste stream, identify recycling options for cardboard, shrink wrap, bubble wrap and e-waste, and deliver a tracked and efficient flow of materials out of the space. Rumpke provided full assessments of results and recycling assurance to assist in meeting its sustainability goals. These simple adjustments not only freed up much-needed floor space for the tech firm but also helped it achieve 50% waste diversion, exceeding initial goals and expectations.

University of Dayton

Residence Recycling

Rumpke is a proud supporter of the University of Dayton Hanley Sustainability Institute (HS). Through our connection with HS, Rumpke is working with UD to improve the on-campus recycling infrastructure. The 2024 Summer Zero Waste Fellow led the project, and with Rumpke’s help, targeted residential and education spaces. The project started with testing waste and recycling receptacles and signage at Marycrest Residence Hall. After testing was complete, the group implemented new signage and established permanent recycling hubs directly benefiting nearly 900 students. Rumpke’s team advised the University on the development of an Ohio EPA grant application, which secured $70,000 in funding to further expand recycling infrastructure throughout campus.

Recycle at Home, Work, School or Play

Whether it’s major league sports, a college campus or other public space, Rumpke often invests in ensuring recycling promotions are executed at these facilities to drive program success and awareness that there are opportunities to recycle everywhere. In 2024, Rumpke invested nearly $1 million to advertise recycling reminders at an array of venues.

The Ohio State University

Rumpke launched a collaboration with the Sustainability Institute at The Ohio State University in 2022 and has since continued to find new ways to assist with innovation, the promotion of zero waste efforts across campus and the development of new technologies to successfully pull materials from the waste stream.

Promoting Student Research & Learning

Rumpke has worked with the Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME) students to execute a couple of research projects. The first helped build robotic technology, called the Robotic Recycling Sorting System (R2S2). The most recent project uses AIpowered cameras and neural cameras to further improve robotic sorting. To complete this research, students spent time with Rumpke experts and onsite at the Rumpke Recycling & Resource Center in Columbus, Ohio. Beyond CDME’s research, several of Ohio State’s sustainability students have visited various locations for tours and interviews with Rumpke leadership.

Through its involvement with Ohio State, Rumpke awarded scholarships to students living closest to our Rumpke Recycling & Resource Center. Receiving the Rumpke Family Scholarship at Ohio State has helped multiple students continue their education journey.

“Paying my way through college means scholarships are crucial to me, and I am very grateful for my donors at Rumpke,” said Erica Offei, a first-generation accounting student at the Fisher College of Business. “This support enables me to work less, focus more on school and reduces my financial burden for college. This also allows me to do more community service, which is a huge passion and value of mine.”

On-Campus Collaboration

Rumpke is committed to helping Ohio State reach its goal to divert as much as 90% of the waste generated on campus from landfills. Increasing recycling awareness is key for this effort. Therefore, Rumpke has worked to support the transition to standard collection bins and signage throughout campus. In areas where new bins and signage were installed, the campus has noted a substantial decrease in contamination. The Rumpke team has also helped with waste reduction during move-in and move-out and participated in multiple campus events such as the Women in Sustainability event, Buck-i-Frenzy festival and West Fest.

Sustainability is how we interact with the environment and Mother Earth in our daily lives. Sustainable living avoids unnecessary depletion of natural resources. In recycling we should consider the 3 R’s: Reduce Reuse Recycle. But also add Refuse and Redesign to those R’s. Refuse products with excessive unrecyclable packaging. Redesign is pressuring companies to eliminate or reduce non-recyclable packaging through our spending habits.
- Becky Reichenbach, Recycling Marketing Manager

Here are just a few of the organizations working with Rumpke for complete solid waste and recycling solutions.