As Ohio’s residential recycling leader, Rumpke is making another large investment to ensure the region has access to the best available recycling technology.

For the past nine months, Rumpke has been hard at work constructing one of the nation’s largest single stream recycling centers, replacing a former facility that was destroyed by fire in April 2012.

The new state-of-the-art facility, currently under construction in St. Bernard, Ohio, is a $32 million investment for the company. The 85,000 square foot building will house one of the most technologically advanced sorting systems available, capable of sorting up to 55 tons every hour. In all, the system designed by Machinex has the potential to process up to nearly 15,000 tons of material monthly, and will serve more than 4.5 million residents in Cincinnati and beyond.

The plant is nearing completion, and is scheduled to open in November. Here is a construction update:

• 99 percent of the equipment is installed

• Electrical work is currently under way

• Motor testing has begun with good results

• Final permits for finish work including painting, dry wall, ceiling and floor installation in offices have been received

• Test runs with materials on the lines will begin October 7

• Many new jobs are being posted for the facility (interested in working at the recycling facility, fill out an application here)

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