Now that school’s out, are you looking for something fun to do with the kids? During your staycation, consider taking in some of area attractions: Kings Island, the Cincinnati, Columbus or Louisville Zoos and Rumpke’s landfills.

That’s right, Rumpke offers free tours of its facilities, and thousands of residents visit its landfills each year to see exactly what happens to their trash once it leaves the curb.

From the comfort of a bus (or SUV for some of our smaller locations), visitors will travel around the landfill learning about modern landfills and how they differ from “dumps” of yesteryear. Participants will see first-hand the landfill safeguards that protect the environment and our health and safety. They will travel to the working face where trash is being deposited and crushed by 100,000 pound compactors and they will travel to the top of the landfill to get a bird’s eye view of the operation. Visitors will also learn how trash is powering homes, businesses and in some cases vehicles.

And while trash might not seem like an exciting topic, Rumpke tour guides make it a fun experience for all ages. But don’t just take my word for it.

Tours are offered at the Colerain Township landfill on Wednesdays beginning at 9 a.m. Tours are also available at other Rumpke landfills throughout the week. To schedule a tour for your group, shoot us an e-mail: tours@rumpke.com

Rumpke also offers tours of its recycling center for individuals high school age and older. Tours are offered Monday through Friday only. To schedule send us an e-mail: tours@rumpke.com

Of course, if you can’t make it to one of our locations, you can learn about what happens to your waste and recyclables once they leave the curb from the comfort of your own home by watching some of our landfill and recycling videos.

About the author: Molly Yeager is a corporate communications coordinator for Rumpke.