Earth Day is a global call to action to take meaningful steps to support and protect our environment not only for ourselves, but for future generations. At SWACO, we believe in treating every day as Earth Day. We believe each day is an opportunity to take even the smallest of steps that can collectively make the biggest of impacts. 

When we recycle right, we’re not only diverting materials from the landfill, we are also reducing pollution, creating cleaner air and water, conserving natural resources and protecting wildlife habits. Recycling right also strengthens our local economy by ensuring that the nearly 400 region businesses who rely on recyclables, which employ 5,000 people and generate $1.3 billion in revenue, have a stready stream of materials for their business. 

Are you celebrating Earth Day today? We want to hear from you! Snap a pic of steps you’re taking to support our environment and share on social using #SWACOEarthMonth. You could be featured on our social media channels!

SWACO is the local resource to learn about ways you can help make Central Ohio more sustainable each and every day. Check out some of our top resources for ideas on how you can celebrate Earth Day this year:

Get Smart About Recycling: We always say – it’s not enough to simply recycle; it’s important to recycle right. Today, take stock of your recycling cart – is everything in there recyclable? By taking a few extra minutes to double check materials and ensure you are recycling right, you help reduce pollution, contribute to clean water, conserve limited natural resources and reduce our reliance on landfills. For more tips on how to recycle right and make a difference in your community, click here.

Pause Before You Toss: When you spring clean, you often toss out old or broken household items, but there are some items in your home that need to be disposed of properly to avoid potential hazards. SWACO provides Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) disposal services for all Franklin County residents. Most items are free to dispose of and identifying HHW is easy. Look for key words on containers such as poison, danger, caution, flammable, corrosive, or ‘use in a well-ventilated area.’ To safely dispose of hazardous waste containers, visit a local waste drop-off site. For a list of common items that require proper disposal, click here. 

Get the Kids Involved: It’s never too early to start teaching kids about waste reduction and the role they can play in keeping the environment clean. SWACO has developed several fun activities you and your kids can do at home, using materials you likely already have on hand. Keep this list of activities handy for a rainy day or when school is officially out for the summer! 

Get Creative with Food Waste: In Franklin County, over a million pounds of food waste enters the landfill every single day, but SWACO has resources on how you can help reduce waste through composting and recycling. Visit the Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative to learn more about how you can shop smart at the grocery, the benefits of “imperfect” foods and how to get creative in the kitchen with leftovers so that food doesn’t end up in the landfill. 

Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet: When you have leftover prescription medicine, it’s easy to forget about as it sits unused in a drawer or medicine cabinet. But keeping unneeded medication in the house can harm children, pets, teens and adults if accidentally ingested or misused. This Earth Day, check up on your medicine cabinet to see what can be tossed. Then, join us on April 24 for National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, where you can visit one of several locations throughout the city to dispose of unused or expired prescriptions, no questions asked. Visit the website to learn more about the types of medications accepted and specific drop off locations throughout Central Ohio. 

Stay Educated: SWACO routinely offers free educational webinars on best practices for reducing waste, reuse, recycling, composting and safely disposing of unwanted materials. Visit the website to learn more about upcoming webinars and topics.  

We can all take small steps to make a big difference when it comes to protecting our community. For more helpful resources, visit www.swaco.org.