New Rumpke program tops expectations in curbside growth
Anderson’s new Rumpke recycling program that kicked off in April is performing beyond expectations, according to township and Rumpke officials.
Township residents recycled 1,353.82 tons of trash at the curb in 2017, compared to the same April-August figure of 1,118.92 tons last year, a 21 percent increase. Rumpke announced the program earlier this year offering a bundled program that provided curbside recycling service at no extra charge and at an overall lower rate. The 18-gallon red recycling bins or the 65-gallon “toter” trash carts are now provided to Rumpke’s Anderson customers, who do not have them (or wish to “upsize” their bin, by just making a phone call.
“After hearing the statistics provided by Rumpke, I am blown away by the results,” said Trustee President Josh Gerth. “We took an idea, used the buying power of our township and put it to good use. Not only is this program saving people money but the fact that we've increased recycling over 20 percent in just a few months is proof positive that this was the right decision, and something that needed to be done."
Prior to new April 2017 program, Rumpke had 12,800 trash customers in Anderson, according to Dean Ferrier, a Rumpke municipal/public sector account manager. Some 7,600 of them were curbside recycling customers or 60 percent participation, he said.
Since the April program began, an additional 2,600 township households have received small bins or large recycling carts, with a total of 9,200 participating residences.
Since the April program began, an additional 2,600 township residents have received small bins or large recycling carts, with a total of 9,200 participating recycling customers. That equals 72 percent of Rumpke’s trash customers, he said. Since April, and compared with 2016, use of the township’s 24/7 Recycling Center Recycling Center (located adjacent to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office District 5 Substation) decreased 11 percent, according to Ferrier. Currently the township pays for 18 recycling containers picked up three times a week at that site.
Trustee Dee Stone noted that the township is analyzing usage of the 24/7 Recycling Center in part due to the change resident recycling habits.
“Once we fully learn how our new recycling program affects the overall usage of the 24-hour center, we’ll adjust the number and frequency of pickup. The results of a recycling center survey that the township re-administered in late September will be helpful to this direction as well.”