When Rumpke Waste & Recycling broke ground on its Columbus Recycling & Resource Center, the goal wasn't just to build another high-throughput MRF. It was to create a facility that could evolve alongside an ever-shifting recycling landscape. From the building's core infrastructure to its advanced sorting systems, community engagement tools, and career development resources, every element was designed to meet today's needs and tomorrow's unknowns.

"I didn't want it to be for this year, next year, or five years from now. I wanted it to be available 20 years from now," says Jeff Snyder, senior vice president of recycling and sustainability at Rumpke. "When we designed this facility, I designed it with an extra bunker, an extra conveyor. So if we want to add a commodity in the future, I can do that very easily without changing the entire infrastructure inside the building."

Scalable by design

The $100 million Columbus facility occupies 226,000 square feet and, according to Snyder, is the most technologically advanced in Rumpke's network. It processes up to 250,000 tons of recyclables annually from nearly 50 counties and operates two shifts each day, with continuous housekeeping and maintenance coverage.

One of the most forward-thinking features is the installation of overhead cranes. These allow the team to move in or swap out sorting equipment as needed without disrupting the building's layout. That level of modularity, combined with built-in spare conveyors and bunkers, ensures that the facility can remain operational and effective even as packaging types, contaminants, and customer expectations evolve.

Rumpke also took the opportunity to eliminate rotating screens. "We replaced them with ballistics, which are ellipticals and optics," says Snyder. "We're not going into these screens and [removing debris] of the shafts and [dealing with] all the maintenance and all the safety issues that go with that."

Address	3800 Struble Road, Cincinnati, OH, 45251, US
Phone	513-741-2637
Website	rumpke.com
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