Rumpke realizes your (recycled) trash could be another company's treasure. Armed with a brand new $32 million, 100,000 square foot sorting center in St. Bernard, Rumpke is taking tons of recyclables off the street and marketing the material to paper mills and businesses that buy plastic and other goods.
Recycling operations manager Brad Dunn says those businesses have been visiting and calling Rumpke. He described the reaction of somebody from one of the major paper mills down south. "He was amazed with the operation. He says it's one of the largest and fastest in the country and when he saw the quality of the newspaper he just shook my hand and said this is exactly what we're looking for."
To get to that pure paper, Dunn likens it to an onion with many layers that have to be pealed off. Bit by bit conveyor belts, optical scanners and people sort out glass, newspaper, aluminum cans, plastic and cartons.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1wpQIrM8cc&feature=player_embedded
- Total speed of material processing: 55 tons per hour
- Total tons of recycling processed monthly: up to 15,000 tons
- Total speed of pre-sort conveyors: up to 320 feet per minute
The material sorted at Rumpke Recycling comes from Louisville, Greater Cincinnati and Dayton.
Something new: Rumpke is now recycling glass, as described in this story and video.
