Rumpke to begin curbside pickup of PET clamshells

Ohio’s Rumpke Waste & Recycling will begin accepting PET clamshell containers in parts of the state this fall.

Starting Nov. 1, Rumpke’s residential and commercial customers of the new Columbus recycling center will be able to include clear plastic carry-out containers, as well as those from berries, lettuce and eggs.

The company said in a press release that it was “berry egg-cited” to announce the new service for people in central Ohio and in parts of northern and southeast Ohio. 

“New artificial intelligence and optic technology allows Rumpke to identify and sort plastic clamshells from other types of plastics within the recycling stream,” Jeff Snyder, senior vice president of recycling and sustainability at Rumpke, said in a written statement. “Couple our innovations with the emergence of new, long-term end users, and we’ve created the foundation for the acceptance of clamshell container recycling in our region.” 

However, customers in the Cincinnati “MRF-shed” – including Dayton and parts of Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky – will have to wait for these items to be accepted. Snyder said Rumpke hopes to be able to accept clamshell containers at the Cincinnati MRF in the future. That location will be renovated over the next few years, according to Amanda Pratt, senior vice president of communications. 

The clamshells will be baled separately from bottles, using technology that allows three-way PET sorting, Pratt said. 

Eastman feedstock

Although there are several buyers for the clamshell-only bales, Rumpke will work mainly with Eastman, Pratt said, to feed its methanolysis plant in Kingsport, Tennessee. Eastman said in a recent earnings call that it would expand its feedstock slate but didn’t specify the materials. 

Although PET beverage bottles are easy to recycle, clamshells are made through thermoforming of PET sheet and may have layers of other plastics, or contain other chemicals, that make recycling more difficult. 

Eastman plans a second U.S. plant in Longview, Texas. Progress on a French plant has slowed amid a lack of incentives.