Rumpke to bring Hefty ReNew program to Greater Cincinnati area

Residents and businesses in eight counties across the greater Cincinnati area soon will be able to add an array of hard-to-recycle plastics to their curbside bins.

Starting in November, Rumpke Waste & Recycling, headquartered in Cincinnati, will offer the Hefty ReNew program to customers in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties in Ohio; Dearborn County in Indiana; and Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties in Kentucky. The program is not mandatory.

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“Finding the highest and best use for material has always been Rumpke’s mission,” Molly Broadwater, corporate communications manager at Rumpke, tells Recycling Today. “We are pleased to be able to offer our customers an opportunity to expand their recycling efforts.”

Developed in collaboration with Midland, Michigan-based Dow Inc. and other program supporters, the Hefty ReNew program began in 2018 and has continued to grow, reaching nearly 800,000 households with curbside recycling to date. Hefty, a brand under the Reynolds Consumer Products umbrella, says ReNew has diverted over 2,500 tons of hard-to-recycle plastics from landfills across Georgia, Idaho, Nebraska and Tennessee.

Users can place their hard-to-recycle plastics inside orange ReNew bags, which Rumpke says will be available to purchase at Kroger supermarkets and online at www.kroger.com in the participating counties starting in November. Participants also can request a free Hefty ReNew starter kit by visiting www.heftyrenew.com. Businesses can order commercial size bags directly from Rumpke.

Broadwater says other retailers will start selling the bags in the spring of 2024.

Each orange bag features a list of hard-to-recycle items that can be collected in the bag for recycling. Once a bag is full, program participants can tie it up and place it in a Rumpke Recycling bin or public recycling drop box for collection. When recycling loads reach Rumpke’s Cincinnati material recovery facility (MRF), Broadwater says team members will pull the ReNew bags from the line in the presort stage of the plant, bale the material that is still contained inside the bag and ship it to end users.

According to Hefty, the bags will go to specialized recyclers that will use the materials to create new and useful products.

“We’re thrilled that the Hefty ReNew program will now be available to residents and businesses in greater Cincinnati, providing more people with the opportunity to make a difference in their community,” says Lynnette Hinch, senior marketing director for Lake Forest, Illinois-based Reynolds Consumer Products, in a news release. “With counties in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky now taking part, in addition to the success we’ve seen in other participating communities, we’re that much closer to our goal of diverting the most hard-to-recycle plastics from landfills and converting them into valuable resources.”

ReNew bags can be used to recycle items from a variety of categories:

• Kitchen and pantry. Accepted items are candy wrappers; cereal box liners; chip bags; cookie and cracker box liners; dry mix liners (cake, powder mixes); foam egg cartons; fresh/frozen vegetable and fruit bags; granola and energy bar wrappers; plastic pet food bags; salad bags; shredded cheese packages; snack food bags; and stand-up pouches.
• Storage and cleaning. Accepted items are dry and wet disposable cleaning cloths; food storage bags; plastic food wrap; plastic grocery bags; and plastic wraps on paper towels and toilet paper.
• Office and shipping. Accepted items are bubble wrap; clear plastic overwraps; foam block packaging; foam peanuts; and plastic air pillow packs.
• Dining and eating. Accepted items are foam cups; foam to-go boxes; colored plastic cups; plastic or foam plates and bowls; plastic straws and stirrers; and plastic utensils.

Broadwater says Rumpke’s hope is to continue growing the program in its Cincinnati MRF and beyond. The company currently provides residential and commercial trash and recycling services to Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana and operates 12 MRFs and 25 transfer stations.

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In a news release, the Director of Recycling Jeff Snyder says, “Rumpke continues to invest heavily in our recycling programs to ensure our customers have access to the best available technologies and can recycle the most amount of material possible. The introduction of the Hefty ReNew program will further help our customers with their own waste reduction efforts and help us recover even more plastic material to be converted into new and useful items.”

Rumpke notes the ReNew program is intended to complement, but not replace, current recycling routines, and recommends customers continue putting paper, cardboard, cartons, glass and plastic bottles, tubs, cups, aluminum cans and steel cans in their recycling bins loose and unbagged.