Rumpke Waste & Recycling, joined by state, regional, industry and community leaders, broke ground on its state-of-the-art recycling campus and shared three major updates for the new facility. “We’re not just breaking ground today, we’re breaking recycling boundaries by bringing the best in recycling innovation to central Ohio and North America,” said Andrew Rumpke, Columbus Area President, Rumpke Waste & Recycling. “The future of recycling is now, and it’s being built right here in central Ohio.”
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Rumpke announced that its initial $50 million private investment to build the new recycling campus in Columbus has increased to more than $90 million. “We have strategically designed our new facility to serve the long-term recycling needs of Columbus and the region’s residents and local governments, as well as the growing recycling demands of the commercial and industrial business growth in central Ohio,” Andrew Rumpke said of the company’s increased private investment.
Secondly, Rumpke updated the community during the groundbreaking event that the new 223,000 square-foot facility will be the largest of its kind in North America. “It’s only appropriate that the largest, most technologically advanced recycling facility in North America is built in the state, the city and the region that is leading the way nationally in the circular economy,” Andrew Rumpke said.
Rumpke announced the new facility, expected to be operational in 2024 and featuring high-tech jobs, will have the capability to process 250,000 tons of material from 40 Ohio counties. Rumpke’s current plant on Fields Avenue processes 150,000 tons of material a year. Designed by local architects Moody-Nolan, constructed by Elford, Inc. with recycling equipment manufactured by Machinex, the new facility will contain the newest technology to keep all materials inside one building, including state-of-the-art optical scanners, equipment enhanced with artificial intelligence, and a sampling station, offering a quick (within a couple of hours) glimpse of material composition to help identify recycling opportunities and challenges for communities and businesses.
Rumpke will support the local community through opportunities that directly benefit the residents, such as the Rumpke Family scholarships for students in the area closest to the facility. Rumpke is also collaborating with The Ohio State University to provide an onsite learning and research center and COSI (the Center of Science & Industry) to ensure STEM learning opportunities for all ages, including interactive exhibits at the Recycling & Resource Center coupled with facility tours.