ST. BERNARD, Ohio -- At Rumpke Recycling in St. Bernard, it's a race every day to catch the items that don't belong.
The facility processes about 1.5 million pounds of material each day, according to Rumpke spokesperson Molly Yeager. About 10 percent of what comes through is trash that doesn't belong there.
"Car parts, appliances, pots and pans; we're seeing all of that every day," Yeager said.
While many people think of recycling as including paper, plastic and cans, Rumpke officials say not all paper and plastic are equal.
"We work with different manufacturers that can recycle different types of items," Yeager said. "But they have different specifications we have to meet."
That means plastic bags, fast food cups and takeout food containers can't be recycled. Now that people are holding for barbecues, the reject bin is filling up with all sorts of items.
Rumpke has been trying to let customers know what they accept: items including plastic bottles, aluminum cans, steel cans, paper, cardboard, glass bottles, jars and cartons.
Another big problem, according to Rumpke: batteries. They don't belong in the recycling bin and have caused several fires. Rumpke's original recycling facility was destroyed by a massive fire in 2012 after a flammable substance went through the facility.
Click here for more information about recycling with Rumpke.
