It’s Zero Waste Week, central Ohio, a great time to focus on the ways that you can cut down on waste in your life buy planning ahead to not buy more than you need, finding ways to reuse things rather than throwing them away and, of course, through recycling and composting. If you happen to be replacing your mattress or box spring soon, a fantastic way to cut waste right now is by recycling it instead of throwing it away. Click below to learn about how to drop off your mattress for free at the Recycling Convenience Center. Also, be on the lookout later this week for an announcement about a great new partnership and grant that SWACO is funding to help cut waste in our community, and if you haven’t seen it already, check out this cool article about how we prevent fires at the landfill.
Got Hazardous Waste?
If you’re like most of us, you probably have a shelf in the garage or basement, or maybe under the sink with a whole bunch of old chemicals, cleaners, paints, and other yucky stuff that you’re not sure how to dispose of. We call that Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and SWACO can help you dispose of it safely and responsibly. There’s a permanent collection point for HHW in our community, and there are two mobile collection events coming up soon.
- Permanent HHW Collection Site
- 645 E. 8th Avenue Columbus, 43201
- September 26th in Grove City
- 8 am to 1 pm at 3226 Kingston Avenue
- October 3rd in Westerville
- 8 am to 2 pm at 350 Park Meadow Road
It’s a great opportunity to safely dispose of things like old cleaning products, pool or lawn chemicals, paint strippers or thinners, batteries, fluorescent light bulbs, automotive fluids, and more. Click below for a full list of what is and isn’t accepted and to learn more about the permanent HHW collection point, including its hours.
Have you heard of the Can Fairy program? It’s a great recycling and education initiative in the off-campus neighborhood near Ohio State, and it’s funded in part through a grant from SWACO. Residents in this neighborhood generate plenty of recyclable materials but the homes don’t always have access to regular curbside recycling, so the Can Fairy program helps fill the gap. Check out this great article about it in the Ohio State Lantern.
Upcoming Events
WastED Podcast
Recycling bins are just the start—what does it really take to build a culture of sustainability? In the latest episode of WastED, we join Michael Ferrara of ANS and Terri Scannell of OhioHealth to find out. Michael shares how a simple office audit exposed a broken system, and how SWACO’s Business Recycling Champions Program helped fix it. Terri takes us inside OhioHealth’s sustainability push—from a zero-landfill food waste goal to cutting anesthetic gas waste and upcycling blue wrap. Click HERE to listen or find it wherever you get your podcasts.
Recycle Right Webinar
Ever wondered what happens to your recycling after you put it in the cart or drop it off somewhere? Tune in on September 23rd at noon for a one-hour webinar to learn the life cycle of your recycling. We will discuss recycling sorting and processing, and the journey to becoming a new product. We will also cover common myths or misunderstandings as they relate to the reality of recycling in Franklin County. Feel free to send in questions ahead of time to [email protected] with the subject line “webinar question” or ask them live. Register HERE.
Free Landfill Tour
Did you know that you can tour the Franklin County landfill? Join us on Saturday, October 17th for a fun and informative tour of the landfill to learn all about how SWACO safely manages all of our community’s waste, as well as some of the actions that you can take to help reduce your reliance on the landfill by reusing, recycling, and composting. This free tour takes about 90 minutes, half in a classroom setting and half actually driving through the landfill with a tour guide. The tour is open to any Franklin County resident over the age of six years old, so click HERE to register today!
