This June, join Rumpke in taking a day to celebrate the men and women who keep our communities clean and green. Monday, June 17 marks National Garbage Man Day, a new holiday proposed to celebrate workers in the waste and recycling industry.

Rumpke currently employs 2,400 people, more than 1,000 of which serve as drivers of various types. Fifteen percent of Rumpke drivers have been with the company for more than 10 years and 7 percent have been with the company for more than 20 years. Recycling and residential drivers exert serious physical effort, lifting and dumping resident cans or bins at each stop. A recycling driver averages 500 stops a day while the average trash hauler makes between 400 and 750 stops. These drivers work an average of 55 hours each week all year round. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, these men and women work to make sure local communities stay trash-free.

How can you celebrate National Garbage Man Day? We have a few recommendations.

1. Offer a cold refreshment: National Garbage Man Day falls just four short days before the official beginning of summer, but the heat has already begun. Offer your local driver a glass of water or other cold refreshment to show how much you appreciate their hard work and help them cool off.

2. Leave a note: Print off a comment form to attach to your bin on or before June 17. A short note thanking your driver for their service is sure to show appreciation and make their route a little more enjoyable.

3. Contact us: Think your driver is doing a great job? Take a few minutes to visit rumpke.com and fill out a feedback form. Your input is appreciated not only by the company but also by your driver to let everyone know how happy you are with their service.

4. Say thanks: The simplest option, but often overlooked. Rumpke drivers provide a service many others may not be willing to do. A simple thank you is all it takes to show your driver you appreciate their service and recognize the work they put in to keeping the community clean.

This upcoming National Garbage Man Day, take a quick moment to appreciate all the effort that goes in to keeping your streets clean and garbage free and thank your local Rumpke driver.

About the author: Darby Fledderjohn is the corporate communications intern at Rumpke.

Name: Steve Sargent

Job at Rumpke: Director of Recycling

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.

Watch Steve demonstrate one of Rumpke Recycling newest pieces of equipment, the optical sorter, in action here

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. Watch here

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.

Meet more of Rumpke’s Environmental Experts: Brandy Luhn and Brad Marlow

About the author: Darby Fledderjohn is the corporate communications intern at Rumpke.

Throughout Ohio, recyclers have the opportunity not only to help the environment, but also themselves by receiving payment for their recycled materials.

Rumpke Recycling runs four public buy-back centers in Ohio where individuals can bring their materials to be recycled in return for a cash payout. With locations in Dayton, Circleville, Chillicothe and Mt. Vernon , these centers accept materials such as aluminum cans, office paper, scrap metal and more in exchange for cash.

Individuals can bring their materials to the center six days a week to be weighed and priced based on current market value and then receive a cash payout. To receive payment, all materials must be separated by type.

In some cases, individuals can choose to forgo the cash and instead donate the value of their materials. For example, at the Dayton Buy-Back Center, donations can be made to the Dayton Children’s Medical Center. This money is used to help pay for new technology and equipment for the hospital.

In Circleville, Rumpke annually partners with Logan Elm High School for a scholarship fundraiser. This year, the school’s industrial arts program received $1,200 by recycling aluminum cans.

Whether the motivation is to help the environment, earn some extra money, or donate to a good cause, Rumpke’s buy-back centers provide an extra opportunity for individuals to go green.

Acceptable materials and current prices can vary, to find a location and learn more visit www.rumpke.com/about-us/facilities.

About the author: Darby Fledderjohn is the corporate communications intern.

The Cost of Convenience

Disposable items are convenient and easy, but that doesn’t mean they’re cheap. If we’re not careful, items such as plastic utensils, baggies and plates can consume a surprising chunk of change.

Here are some usage estimates and annual expenditures for common disposable items:  

Office Dishware: Cut the cups and plastic-ware to save $70 a year at the office.

Working 50 five-day weeks per year, you’ll spend 250 days in the office. If an employee uses two paper cups plus one (sometimes two) plastic utensils daily, an employer can expect to dish out $70 per person annually on paper cups and plastic utensils alone (500 paper cups cost about $50 and a 360-pack of plastic-ware costs about $20).

Hit the cooler and the coffee pot with a reusable tumbler and keep a spare set of silverware at your desk to help avoid unnecessary waste at the office.

Paper Towels: Keep a cloth on-hand to wipe up $40 a year.

An 8-pack of jumbo paper towel rolls runs about $10 and, on the safe side, will last about a month, meaning paper towels wipe out $100 of your annual budget. Instead, turn to rags and cloths for kitchen spills, household cleaning and hand-drying.

Plastic Baggies: Bag $40 by switching to plastic containers.

Plastic baggies are convenient for snacks and small item storage, but it’s easy to get a little carried away. Using just 3 per day, you’ll go through 100 sandwich bags per month, costing you $3. That means you could save nearly $40 per year by switching to reusable plastic containers. Find more tips on breaking your “bag” habit here.

Bottled Water: Turn to the tap to save $156.

At $1 per bottle, that grab ‘n go hydration comes at a cost. One person drinking 3 bottles of water per week will spend $156 annually. Invest in reusable water bottles and turn to the tap.

When you do use plastic bottles, make sure to recycle them in your Rumpke bin.

Your wallet and the environment will thank you for reducing your reliance on these common disposable culprits. What are your most common culprits and what reusable items do you replace them with?

About the Author: Taylor is a corporate communications assistant with Rumpke.

watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1viKueaNpRQ)

Did you know there are many rules about where a landfill can be built? Rumpke’s mission to protect the environment starts with proper planning for landfill location, which involves far more research and planning than meets the eye.

Each year, more than 300 million tons of trash is disposed in landfills throughout the United States. With that amount of garbage, it may seem like we’d need landfills around every corner. However, there are strict guidelines about where a landfill can be located.

Take your favorite park for example. According to federal regulations, a landfill cannot be located within 1,000 feet of it. That means more than three football fields separate the garbage and the park. The same is true for nature preserves. Restrictions also exist for landfills near homes, wetlands, airports and aquifers.

Do landfills pose health risks for their neighbors? Read about this and other landfill myths.

The location of the landfill is carefully considered before construction begins. This applies to new landfills as well as new sections of existing landfills. The land is carefully surveyed, often through extensive, archeological digs.

These strict rules ensure the integrity of the environment while protecting our health and safety. Watch more videos about landfill construction.

Rumpke strives to conserve landfill space and natural resources through recycling. Learn more about options provided by Rumpke Recycling.