Rumpke Recycling’s history dates back to the start of the trash business during the 1930s. Brothers William F. Rumpke Sr. and Bernard Rumpke began the Rumpke business by gathering discarded food from area businesses and homes to feed it to their swine stock. They removed the scrap metals, glass and rags from the mix and recycled it in the 1930s, beginning a long-standing tradition of recycling at Rumpke.

As the trash business flourished during the next few decades, the Rumpke family recognized the opportunity to expand their recycling services in both the commercial and residential sector. In 1989, Rumpke purchased Pickaway County Community Action (PICCA) Recycling located in Circleville, Ohio. PICCA had grown into the largest, non-profit recycling center in the State of Ohio under the direction of Steve Sargent. Sargent assumed the position as director of the newly formed division Rumpke Recycling in 1989 and has guided the division’s growth into one of the major recycling entities in the Midwest.

From 1989 to 1995, Rumpke Recycling opened several recycling facilities in our three-state service area, including material recovery facilities (MRFs) in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Louisville. In 1992, Rumpke Recycling secured the residential curbside recycling agreement with the City of Cincinnati, which was then and continues to be the largest residential curbside recycling contract in the State of Ohio.

During the 1990s, Rumpke Recycling continued developing innovative ways to increase participation in recycling, making it more accessible to our customers. In 2000, Rumpke Recycling introduced a new system of collecting and processing recyclables called single stream recycling.

A concept developed on the West Coast, single stream recycling changed residential collection forever. Residents no longer had to separate paper and fiber materials from other materials. All recyclables could be placed in one container and collected by one truck.

The development of innovative ways to recycle at Rumpke Recycling continues today. Rumpke Recycling accepted the challenge to develop a long-term, stable market for our recovered mixed glass as glass recycling markets continued to decline in the Midwest. In 2004, Rumpke Recycling opened the Mixed Cullet Processing System in Dayton, Ohio to accept and process all of the broken, mixed-color glass generated from the Rumpke MRF network. Annually, this facility processes nearly 20,000 tons mixed-color glass into fiberglass insulation grade cullet.

Rumpke Recycling brought several other innovative ways to our customers during the past decade including tire collection and recycling programs, office single-stream programs and consolidated commercial collection programs. Methane gas recovery from our landfill operations and the production of tire derived fuel (TDF) are also recycling efforts assisting in conserving natural resources.

Most recently, Rumpke Recycling launched the grand opening of the Ohio Valley (OVD) District Transfer and Recycling Facility in Ironton, Ohio. The new facility will provide increased commercial and residential recycling opportunities in the greater tri-state region of Ironton, Ohio, Ashland, Ky. and Huntington, W.Va.