There are 20 new recycling cans scattered throughout the Central Business District giving Cincinnati residents and visitors a chance to show their love for the Queen City in more ways than one. Downtown Cincinnati, an organization that merged with the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) in 2019, announced details of the new public recycling program. It’s a partnership involving the city of Cincinnati and Rumpke, which handles local recycling collection. The empty bottles, cans, cartons and other eligible items collected will go to Rumpke’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) located on 12 acres in St. Bernard.
The MRF is a single-stream recycling facility, meaning all collected recyclables can be combined into a single container and sorted on site. Rumpke recently spent a few million dollars to add four robots to aid in the sorting process. Rumpke then ships the sorted items to manufacturers that recycle into something new. Those materials get repurposed into everything from packaging to jewelry and apparel. All of the blue bins have instructions affixed outlining what can and cannot be recycled.
“We’re excited to be expanding recycling options in our vibrant urban core – both for the environmental benefits and also because recycling and litter cleanup help create a cleaner, safer, and more beautiful Downtown Cincinnati for residents and visitors alike,” said David Vissman, 3CDC’s vice president of operations.