How Rumpke Celebrates Earth Day

April 22, 1970, marked the first Earth Day in the United States when people nationwide celebrated our planet by taking action to protect and preserve our environment.

Every April 22, the world celebrates Earth Day to raise awareness about environmental issues with events and activities such as neighborhood clean-ups, tree planting, and touring local recycling centers.

However, every day - not just on April 22 - we can make greener choices to protect the environment. At Rumpke, we do our part by:

  • Offering customized recycling solutions to residences and businesses.
  • Sharing key recycling tips and tricks.
  • Hosting facility tours and giving educational presentations.
  • Using the best recycling technology at our recycling facilities.
  • Working with hundreds of towns and cities to provide reliable recycling options and environmentally responsible waste disposal.

Below are some more ways that Rumpke celebrates Earth Day and stays green year round.

Advanced Recycling Centers

Rumpke has 14 recycling centers across our service areas. These critical pieces of infrastructure are necessary when offering comprehensive recycling options for communities. After our advanced equipment sorts your recycling materials, the recyclables are sent to local partners who create new products.

Why should we recycle?

  • Keeps recyclables out of landfills.
  • Saves natural resources and energy.
  • Creates new jobs and helps the local economy.
  • Gives old stuff new life.

Thanks to our customers’ efforts, Rumpke recycled 1.2 billion pounds of material in 2023!

Reusing Landfill Gas

Through natural decomposition, trash begins to break down in landfills and releases landfill gas (mostly a combination of methane and carbon dioxide). Since 1986, Rumpke and our partners have used landfill-gas-to-pipeline energy systems to turn methane into renewable energy.

At Rumpke Sanitary Landfill near Cincinnati, Rumpke has three on-site gas-to-energy plants. A series of pipes collect methane and carry it to a third-party electricity plant. These plants provide energy for 30,000 homes and businesses. In total, Rumpke has seven landfill gas-to-energy systems at its landfills, powering more than 70,000 homes near our waste-to-energy sites.

Rumpke also recovers methane to make compressed natural gas (CNG) to fuel some of our trucks. CNG is a cleaner fuel source, so we will continue adding more of these vehicles to our fleets for greener miles.

Rumpke has several landfill gas-to-energy facilities at other locations, including:

  • Boyd County, Kentucky
  • Pendleton County, Kentucky
  • Montgomery County, Kentucky
  • Medora, Indiana
  • Richland County, Ohio
  • Brown County, Ohio
  • Rumpke Sanitary Landfill (RSL), Ohio

There are several additional landfill gas projects in the works.

We Never Pass on Glass

In 2004, Rumpke opened a glass recycling facility in Dayton, Ohio. Each year, we process about 60,000 tons of glass. Our partners can create new bottles, jars and fiberglass insulation in just 30 days.

We encourage everyone to recycle and reuse their glass containers. We can recycle glass forever without it losing value, and recycling it helps us save more energy.

Learn more about Rumpke’s glass recycling process on our official YouTube channel.

Celebrate the Earth Every Day

Every day is a chance to celebrate the Earth by developing small habits to become more sustainable. Here are some ideas:

  • Reduce, reuse and recycle—reduce how much you buy, reuse items when possible and recycle plastic, paper, cardboard, glass and metal items.
  • Try community or backyard composting food scraps, grass clippings, dry leaves and other organic material.
  • Shop mindfully—buy local, choose products with recyclable/minimal packaging or buy in bulk.
  • Carry reusable bags.

Check out the latest in recycling news by following us on Facebook, Instagram and X.

Happy Earth Day!

Author: Leah Dietle, East Area Communications Assistant