Rumpke Recycling Facility Tour

On Thursday, November 12, 2026, twelve Harrison West neighbors gathered to tour the Rumpke Recycling and Resource Center at 1190 Joyce Avenue. After a short video of the history of this family-owned business, we donned headphones and reflective vests for a tour of the actual recycling operation. Important take-aways from this tour included the massive, and impressive procedure of separating out the various types of recycled items, plus the process of physically removing unacceptable items.  After sorting, items are baled and sent to various facilities for reuse (none out of the country). During our visit a large piece of metal roofing caused an equipment malfunction and had to be removed by hand. This highlighted the sometimes dangerous aspect of this work, as there can be fires or explosions if the wrong items are sent into the sorting equipment. And, it cannot be stressed enough that everyone should do their part to “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” before discarding!

Thanks to Debby Colvin for the story and photos!