The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Now you can recycle pizza boxes, more

High school delivers the goods: 4,207 cans
11/21/09
Cutting-edge command center now a dream, but EMA director will keep pushing for it
11/21/09
State jobless rate jumps to 10.5 percent
11/20/09
Committee recommends Miami increase room and board rates
11/20/09
MU junior expects big things from tiny robot
11/20/09
> More headlines

By Ryan Gauthier, Staff Writer 2:25 PM Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Days of throwing shampoo bottles and pizza boxes in the trash are a thing of the past, as the city of Oxford announced increased recycling options for city residents effective immediately.

Environmental Specialist David Treleaven said the city was informed by Rumpke Waste Collection that the company would be expanding its recycling efforts as of Nov. 1. Rumpke is now accepting all plastic bottles and jugs regardless of their recycling code as well as clean pizza boxes, he said.

“We don’t have the volume to force Rumpke to do something like this,” Treleaven said. “Cincinnati recently signed a 10-year contract for recycling with Rumpke, which was big enough to get Rumpke to invest $6 million to upgrade their recycling facility. We get all of the advantages without any of the costs.”

City Council unanimously approved a new two-year contract with Rumpke at a Nov. 3 meeting, including a 22-cent rate increase for residential customers.

Rumpke Spokesperson Molly Yeager said the company is warehousing a large portion of recyclable materials until early 2010, when the multi-million dollar upgrade to Rumpke’s Cincinnati plant will be completed.

“We’re going to upgrade it with the most state-of-the-art technology in processing recyclables,” Yeager said. “The difference is we’re going to have infrared technology that will scan the materials and determine the plastic content. Before this we would drop the materials out according to size, which resulted in some not being properly sorted.”

While Rumpke is now accepting plastic bottles of any plastic number, Yeager said the company is still unable to recycle plastic margarine tubs and yogurt containers. Without a clear market for those materials, Yeager said it is not possible for Rumpke to recycle them.

“We have to be able to guarantee a certain amount and we have to find a company that’s willing to take all of that material and turn it into something new and useful,” she said. “We are constantly looking for these markets to expand our recycling program, but nothing has surfaced yet.”

As for pizza boxes, Yeager said they have to be completely free of grease and cheese in order to be recycled. If the bottom of a pizza box is contaminated, she said customers can still tear off the top and toss it in their recycling bins.

Treleaven echoed Yeager’s suggestion, as he said the bulk of a pizza box is typically contaminated by the time people have finished eating.

“I’ve always told people to approach the bottom and sides as if it was a paper plate that you’ve been eating baked beans off of,” he said. “But I have seen people put dirty paper plates in their recycling.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139, ext. 86102, or at rgauthier@coxohio.com.

Share this article