Meet Our Environmental Experts Steve Sargent
Name: Steve Sargent
Job at Rumpke: Former Director of Recycling (Retired)
How long have you worked at Rumpke? I’ve worked at Rumpke for 23 years and have more than 30 years of experience in the recycling industry.
What are some of your job duties? As Director of Recycling, my corporate group is responsible for the marketing of all processed and brokered recyclables now approaching 40,000 tons per month, capital equipment acquisition used in our large material recovery facility (MRF) processing systems, and other financial and legislative duties.
How has Rumpke changed since you began working here? Rumpke has changed in many ways, but the common thread of it being a family-owned company that can move quickly to take advantage of qualified business opportunities remains the same. One large change in the past 23 years is that our budgetary and capital acquisition process continues to improve. From the recycling perspective, we are investing sizable dollars in our recycling facilities to respond to the needs of our customers.
Steve provides a look inside the Rumpke’s glass recycling plant in Dayton and how it works to recycle this material.
What is the best part of your job? I have been asked this before and my answer never changes. I come to work every day with the ability to positively impact this company, the recycling division and the people who work for me. Some the best memories I have are working with Bill Sr. and Tom Rumpke on special recycling projects to benefit the company. Especially with the growing interest in recycling, I get to interact and be part of new opportunities to position the company for growth in the future.
How has Rumpke positioned itself as a leader in recycling or environmental stewardship? Our company has committed substantial capital dollars in the past three years to three large projects: Columbus MRF rebuild; Dayton Glass Plant; and now the Cincinnati Center City material recovery facility project. In each case, our primary goal was to generate excellent quality recyclables that the markets. Now, our reputation in the recycling industry is of a company that generates high quality materials for the end-users.
Rumpke’s new Cincinnati recycling facility will serve 4.5 million people. Learn more about the rebuild from Steve in this video
What do you do at home (besides recycling) to lessen your impact on the Earth? I have always been intrigued with how a home can be designed to promote energy efficiency. I have incorporated some of those design features into my home today including super insulating my sidewalls and attic; south facing windows especially used in winter to take advantage of solar heat; insulated blinds to reflect the summer heat to reduce need of A/C; and setback thermostat when no one is home.