Cleveland selects Rumpke as its curbside recycling processor; city will collect, transport recyclables to Rumpke's Medina County facility for pre-sort, commodities removal, then company will ship paperboard to end users, glass to its Dayton facility

CLEVELAND , April 28, 2022 (press release) –

The City of Cleveland has selected Rumpke Waste & Recycling, Ohio’s largest recycler and a leading processor in the Midwest, to process recycling collected from the City’s curbside recycling program. 

Cleveland’s Public Works Department will collect the recycling and will transport the material to the Ridge Road Transfer Station. From there, Rumpke will transport the recyclables to the Medina County Recycling Center for pre-sort and removal of commodities such as cardboard and glass. Rumpke will ship cardboard to end users and glass to Rumpke’s one-of-a-kind glass processing plant, located in Dayton, OH. Rumpke will transport the remaining recycling to Rumpke’s Columbus Material Recovery Facility for further processing. 

“On Earth Day, we are proud to announce a fresh start for recycling in the City of Cleveland with a trusted local vendor as our partner,” said Mayor Justin M. Bibb. “Thanks to our program coordinator, the sustainability team and all involved in the process so far. Residents across the city have let me know that recycling is important to them, and we are ready to get started.” 

Rumpke has secured long-term contracts with stable, regional end users to ensure that all accepted recyclable material finds a good home. Currently, 100% of Rumpke’s collected recyclables go to domestic end users, with 80% destined for end users in Ohio and 95% in the Midwest. 

“Rumpke is a recycling leader and as a company, we recycle more than one billion pounds of material annually,” said Jeff Snyder, Rumpke’s Director of Recycling. “We continue to invest in our recycling operation and identify new items to add to the acceptable items list, we are excited to bring consistent and reliable recycling options to Cleveland.” 

In 2021, Rumpke added tubs to the acceptable items list. This year, Rumpke announced the addition of paper, plastic and aluminum cups.  

Examples of acceptable cups include paper beverage cups from fast-food restaurants (Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.), plastic souvenir cups and Ball brand aluminum cups. Additional guidelines include: 

• Plastic lids should be reattached to plastic cups.  
• Plastic lids from paper cups should be removed and discarded.  
• Straws and stoppers are not accepted.   
• Colored Solo brand cups are not accepted. These cups are made from polystyrene and we currently do not have a secure, long-term end user for this material.  
• Ceramic and glass cups are not accepted. In fact, they can be damaging to the glass recovery process.  
• K-cups are not accepted. 

Paper cups processed at Rumpke’s recycling facilities will be made into cardboard and paperboard products, plastic cups will be used to make new plastic containers and aluminum cups will be made into aluminum cans. 

City of Cleveland Rumpke customers can recycle the following items:  

• Plastic bottles, jugs, tubs (butter, sour cream, cottage cheese tubs as well as yogurt and fruit and yogurt cups) and disposable plastic cups, NOT Solo cups. 
• Cartons.  
• Glass bottles and jars (any color).  
• Aluminum cups and cans and steel cans. 
• Paper, paper board (cereal boxes, 12-pack containers, mail, etc.), cardboard and paper cups.  

For City of Cleveland residents, all items should be clean, empty and placed in recycling containers loose to ensure they can be properly sorted and recycled. For more information on recycling, visit www.rumpke.com.

About Rumpke: Rumpke Waste & Recycling has been committed to keeping neighborhoods and businesses clean and green since 1932 by providing environmentally friendly waste disposal solutions. Rumpke is one of the nation’s largest privately owned residential and commercial waste and recycling firms, providing service to areas of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia. With 11 recycling facilities, including major material recovery facilities in Cincinnati and Columbus, as well as a one-of-a-kind glass processing facility in Dayton, Ohio, Rumpke is widely regarded as a regional recycling leader. Please visit www.rumpke.com for more information. 

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