Event Waste Reduction Grant

Franklin County is proud to be home to many public events. Many residents and businesses look forward to the public events and outdoor festivals that take place across Franklin County during the warmer months. As the County continues to grow in population and popularity, tens of thousands of people now attend these local events.

The Event Waste Reduction (EWR) Grant (PDF) seeks to assist local event organizers with reducing event-generated waste and diverting as much as possible from the landfill. In addition, these grants also assist event organizers in building the infrastructure needed to sustain these diversion efforts in order to continue to contribute to a safe and healthy community for all Franklin County residents.

2020 Grant Cycle

Please check back in December 2019 to learn more about the 2020 Event Waste Reduction grant cycle.

2019 Grant Cycle

The 2019 Event Waste Reduction Grant application period is CLOSED. Grant Applications were accepted until Friday, March 8, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.

Watch the Pre-recorded Webinar to Learn More about the 2019 Application Cycle

SWACO hosted a 2019 Event Waste Reduction Grant pre-application webinar on Feb 8, 2019 to provide clarity and answer questions relating to the application process. Please click here to hear a recording of the presentation! Another webinar will be offered in 2020 for the 2020 event season.

Purpose

The purpose of the Event Waste Reduction Grant (EWRG) program is to assist event organizers in establishing sustainable waste reduction and diversion activities. By implementing sustainable, environmentally conscious methods of waste reduction and diversion, central Ohio's events can successfully reduce the amount of solid waste materials generated and divert recyclable and compostable materials from the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill.

The EWRG is a competitive program that provides reimbursement funding for activities that increase reuse, recycling and composting, as well as diversion-related outreach and education activities at public events. Grant dollar amounts are awarded based on event attendance and eligibility criteria found in the Application Information Document.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a grant award, events must:

Be within SWACO's jurisdiction of Franklin County (PDF)
Occur during the grant cycle calendar year.
Be open to the public.
Have a projected attendance of 2,000 people or more.
Funding may be requested for activities specific to establishing or promoting new waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting programs.
Consideration will also be given to the significant expansion and/or improvement of existing diversion and outreach activities.

Award Recipients

Five (5) grants were awwarded for the 2019 grant cycle including Columbus Coffee Festival, ComFest, Dublin Irish Festival, Festival for Good and the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Summer Festival in Grove City.

Three (3) grants were awarded for the 2018 grant cycle including the Greater Columbus Convention Center, kicking off with the Women's Final Four event, Franklinton Farms, and CoffeeFest.

Six (6) grants were awarded for the 2016-2017 grant cycle including the Dublin Irish Festival, the Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival, the Columbus Italian Festival, HighBall Halloween, Old Hilliard’s Halloween Haunt, and OSU to conduct a study of recycling in tailgate lost at football games.

Resources

Download SWACO's Event Waste Reduction Best Practices Guide (PDF)
Download the City of Columbus Green Event Guide (PDF)
Download the OEPA's Zero Waste Special Event Planning Guide

Grant applications for the 2019 CWRG were accepted Monday, July 2, 2018 - Friday, September 21, 2018.

Award recipients will be notified of their funding status in November 2018.

Awarded projects will begin in January 2019.