Rumpke makes Illinois acquisition

Acquired firm Sanitation Services and Landfill 33 had been operating as family businesses since 1961.

rumpke kentucky transfer station
Rumpke will add the Illinois assets to its holdings that also include 14 regional landfills, 14 recycling centers and 25 transfer stations.
Photo courtesy of Rumpke Waste & Recycling

Rumpke Waste & Recycling, a Cincinnati-based regional hauling, landfill and recycling company, has acquired Effingham, Illinois-based Sanitation Service Inc.

Sanitation Service and Landfill 33, also in Effingham, have been owned and operated by the Deibel, Hayes and Tegeler families for 63 years, and the company says the transition of its operations to Rumpke began Feb. 19.

“Unfortunately, the days of the single-family-owned landfill have faded away," Sanitation Service says. "We have, however, outlasted most all other single-family-owned landfills in the Midwest.”

The company points to a postclosure liability of 30 years after "we take our last bag of trash” to the landfill it owns, adding, “When we opened Landfill 33, closure liability was only five years. This gets passed down to the next generation as well [and] is the driving force that has led us to the difficult decision to pass on our waste collection and disposal company to another family-owned and operated company that shares our same values.”

Rumpke currently operates 14 regional landfills, 14 recycling centers and 25 transfer stations that Sanitation Service says are regarded as "the best in the industry.”

“We are very excited to expand our services into the Effingham area,” says Jeff Rumpke, area president of Rumpke Waste & Recycling. “Sanitation Service has been a successful and well-trusted business in the community, and we look to build upon their success while ensuring Effingham County and the surrounding region continues to have access to cost-effective and environmentally sound disposal options.”

According to Sanitation Service, its current management staff and all its employees will stay in place, including Austin Hayes, who will continue to manage Landfill 33, and Drew Tegeler, who will continue to manage Effingham area hauling operations.

“They are vertically integrated in all areas of solid waste management," Sanitation Service says of Rumpke. "With their guidance and our local commitment to our customers, we are confident that you will be provided with the same level of service that you have come to expect and deserve.

“With the blessing of being part of the best community in Illinois, our loyal customers, a commitment to customer satisfaction and a lot of hard work in the rain, snow, blistering heat and subzero temperatures, we have come to the crossroads of our business cycle.”