Discover how thoughtful design and cutting-edge technology come together at Rumpke’s new facility and office to redefine the future of recycling and community engagement.
A result of a collaborative effort between Moody Nolan, construction firm Elford, Inc., recycling equipment manufacturer Machinex, and experiential design company Holt Experiential, the Rumpke Recycling Center (RRC) stands as North America’s largest and most advanced recycling facility. Spread across 25 acres and designed with a strong environmental and community commitment, this $100 million, 223,000-square-foot facility is set to reshape recycling on a massive scale.
With the capacity to process over 250,000 tons of curbside plastics, metals, and glass annually, the RRC combines state-of-the-art technology with community engagement. Layout configuration maximizes the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), various operational zones, including sorting, processing, and storage areas, while accounting for potential future expansions or technological upgrades. The state-of-the-art recycling facility features optical scanners, AI-integrated equipment, allowing precise sorting and processing while maximizing the diversion of recyclables from landfills. This ensures that Columbus and surrounding areas can scale up waste diversion as sustainability needs grow. A sampling station provides a quick glimpse of material composition, aiding in the identification of recycling opportunities and challenges for communities and businesses. Ample circulation allows equipment to be easily accessible for routine inspections and repairs.
In collaboration with COSI, the Rumpke Recycling & Resource Center boasts a brand-new, one- of-a-kind education center with interactive exhibits and a tour platform to view the recycling process in action. From the marketplace to the creation of new products, the center provides a hands-on learning experience that provides guests with a better understanding of how recycling works in Ohio.
During a walking tour of the recycling facility, guests will learn about the technology used at Rumpke’s state-of-the-art facilities and see recyclables sorted and separated.
The facility is thoughtfully located in the American Addition area of Columbus, Ohio’s oldest African American community, symbolizing the first major investment in nearly a century for this area. The project would not have been successful without the help of the Neighborhood Advisory Committee consisting of community leaders and residents from American Addition and the North Central as well as Milo-Grogan communities. With the committee’s insights and input, Rumpke was determined to deliver a facility that enhanced the community and environment for generations to come.
Project Planning
The East Area President of Rumpke, Andrew Rumpke, was highly involved in planning efforts for this facility. Vice Presidents and Directors were also highly involved in planning efforts. They were fantastic to work with and provided us helpful feedback from their departments that we took into consideration for the planning and design.
There were a few unique design requirements. The main one was coordinating the MRF with Machinex equipment. As part of their community engagement, Rumpke really wanted to include an experiential educational center for guests and schools to interact with as part of their facility tour. We worked directly with Cosi to help develop ideas for the space and went to Cosi to view their exhibits. During our visits, we gathered precedents to assist Holt Experiential Design Group in bringing the space to life. On level 1 of the office, there is a Career Development Center and Training Room. Rumpke wanted these rooms to be flexible in that they could be joined or separated rooms. Due to constraints on the width of the office portion of the building, we wanted to keep this room as open as possible and not include a horizontal folding partition. Instead, we included a vertical folding partition that is housed within the ceiling and doesn’t take up any valuable floor space. We don’t often include vertical folding partitions in our projects, so this was a unique product to coordinate.
Project Details
Beyond environmental impact, the RRC prioritizes community health, safety, and economic opportunities. Its public education and career development spaces serve as a hub for hands-on learning, creating job pathways and fostering a deeper understanding of sustainability among visitors, students, and the workforce. It includes a 3,000-square-foot education center designed in collaboration with COSI to teach the public about recycling along with a merchandise store, where visitors can scan products to determine their recyclability, and even play video games.
It also includes an elevated touring platform within the MRF with direct access to the education center that allows visitors and students to get a guided tour of the facility and view the recycling process firsthand.
There is a monumental stair in the lobby area to encourage employees and guests to utilize the stairs over the elevator to reach other levels of the office. To embrace the community, we built wall niches with integrated lighting to feature art from local artists and K-12 schools throughout the office area. We took the initiative to consider sustainability in many of the furnishings throughout the office. Most upholsteries specified on the furniture are PVC free and contain upcycled marine plastic. The acoustic baffles in areas with exposed ceilings are made from recycled plastic bottles. The carpet tile installed throughout the offices is carbon neutral.
Key Products
Recycling Equipment
Optical Scanners
AI-Integrated Equipment
Skyfold: Vertical Folding Partition
Maharam: Upholstery with Upcycled Marine Plastic
Turf: Acoustic Baffles
Mohawk: Carbon Neutral Carpet Tile
Overall Project Results
The feedback from employees has been very positive. Rumpke exceeded their recycling efficiency expectations within the first couple weeks of operation. Employees are enjoying the office spaces, natural light, employee break areas, and meeting spaces. They also like how they can observe the trucks coming and going from the facility from their offices and conference rooms. The connections between the office, education center, and MRF portions allow both employees and visitors easy access to the facility.
The sound mitigation between the two exceeded expectations as the Machinex equipment does produce a lot of noise within the MRF. However, inside the offices and education center you cannot hear the processing equipment.
Partner Contributors:
Architecture: Moody Nolan
Construction firm: Elford, Inc.
Recycling equipment manufacturer: Machinex
Experiential design company: Holt Experiential
MEP Engineer: M Engineering
Structural Engineer: Korda/Nemeth
Civil Engineer: Moody Engineering
Photography
Images courtesy of Cory Klein