The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) is one of 52 solid waste districts in Ohio created by the Ohio General Assembly in 1989. These districts were established with the mission of reducing reliance on landfills for managing the solid waste that we generate in Ohio (the trash that is generated by residents, businesses, and other organizations). In order to fulfill that mission, SWACO provides a wide variety of programs for waste reduction, recycling, and composting, focused on all sectors of Central Ohio, including residents, communities, schools, businesses, and other organizations.
In accordance with Ohio law, SWACO is required to develop a solid waste management plan and update it every 5 years for submission to Ohio EPA for approval. Prior to submitting it to Ohio EPA for approval, the plan must also be approved locally by the communities within our jurisdiction. The plan must demonstrate meeting Ohio EPA recycling goals and must contain a variety of information and projections required by the statute and Ohio EPA. The plan outlines the types of programs and services SWACO will offer to meet these requirements.
SWACO’s most recent solid waste management plan was approved by Ohio EPA on July 11, 2024.
SWACO’s Plan
In accordance with Ohio EPA requirements, SWACO’s Plan includes the following: Recycling Infrastructure Inventory, Population Data, Disposal Data, Residential/Commercial/Industrial Recycling Data, Waste Generation Data, a Strategic Evaluation of Old and New Proposed SWACO Programs, Program Priorities, Achievement of State Recycling Goals, Education and Outreach Programs, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculations, Financial Data, Designation of Facilities, District Rules, and a Siting Strategy. The Plan Update contains six narrative chapters that are intended to provide the basic information of the Plan Update. They include:
- Introduction
- District Profile
- Waste Generation
- Waste Management
- Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Cost and Financing (Budget)
The Plan includes a demonstration of access to landfill capacity and determines there are more than 20 years of landfill capacity available at the Franklin County Landfill. The estimated lifespan of the Franklin County Sanitary landfill at the end of 2021, the reference year for the planning period, was 46 years. Under the Plan, the Board of Trustees is authorized to designate facilities in accordance with Sections 343.014 and 343.015 of the Ohio Revised Code. The Designated Facilities in this Plan Update are the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill, the Morse Road Eco-Station (aka Morse Road
Transfer Station), and the Jackson Pike Transfer Station. Additional facilities can be utilized by SWACO if the Board of Trustees approves a waiver for the facility. The Plan includes the existing SWACO District Rules, contained in Appendix Q. SWACO reserves the right to adopt rules pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 343.01 (G) in the following areas:
- Prohibiting or limiting the receipt of waste generated outside the District;
- Governing the maintenance, protection, and use of solid waste collection, disposal, transfer, recycling, or resource recovery facilities;
- Governing a program to inspect out-of-state waste; and
- Exempting an owner or operator of a solid waste facility from compliance with local zoning requirements.
The Plan Update demonstrates meeting both Ohio EPA State Plan Goals #1 and #2. State Plan Goal #1 requires SWACO to demonstrate adequate infrastructure to give residents and commercial businesses opportunities to recycle. SWACO’s Plan Update demonstrates meeting that goal. State Plan Goal #2 requires SWACO to reduce and recycle at least 25 percent of the solid waste generated by the residential/commercial sectors. The Plan Update demonstrates achieving a 44% recycling rate in the reference year of the Plan.
SWACO primarily funds programs through a Generation Fee of $5.00 per ton for all solid waste generated within Franklin County and disposed at any transfer station or landfill located in Ohio. SWACO projects the Generation Fee to remain at the current rate of $5 per ton for the entire planning period. The Plan Update also indicates potential utilization of $1.00 per ton “allocated” from the existing landfill tipping fee. The Plan Update does not include any fee increases.
Plan Approval Process
In accordance with Ohio law, the plan approval process includes three primary steps: development of a draft plan and review by Ohio EPA; ratification of the draft plan by local jurisdictions; and submission the ratified plan to Ohio EPA for approval.
As required by Sections 3734.55 and 3734.56 of the Ohio Revised Code, SWACO prepared a draft solid waste management plan covering a planning period from 2024-2038 and submitted the plan to Ohio EPA for review and comment on February 24, 2023.
After Ohio’s EPA review and revisions based on their comments, the plan was made available for formal public review and comment from October 16, 2023 until November 16, 2023. A public hearing was held on November 16, 2023.
As required by Ohio Revised Code Section 3734.55, after completing the public comment process, SWACO's Board of Trustees adopted the Plan Update on December 12, 2023 and initiated the local Ratification process in which each of the 41 municipalities, townships, and villages within SWACO's jurisdiction are required to either approve or disapprove the plan by passage of an ordinance or resolution.
Upon receiving approval from an adequate number of local jurisdictions and meeting certain approval requirements and thresholds established in Ohio Revised Code Section 3734.55, SWACO submitted the ratified plan to Ohio EPA on April 30, 2024 and Ohio EPA approved the Plan on July 11, 2024.
SWACO’s Current Solid Waste Management Plan
The Plan, containing the existing set of District Rules, is available here.
An Executive Summary of the Plan is available here.
Contact Information
Please contact SWACO at 614-871-5100 with any questions about the Plan.