SWACO and the City of Columbus celebrated America Recycles Day with the opening of two new convenience centers for recycling. The centers will aid the public in the recovery of recyclables and other hard-to-recycle materials such as clothing, furniture, electronics and food waste.
The drive-up, self-service centers provide a convenient and accessible location for central Ohio residents to recycle a wide range of materials, mostly free of charge. They are the first of their kind in Franklin County.
“By providing a comprehensive range of recycling options and promoting responsible waste management practices, these centers will contribute to an increase in the diversion of recyclable materials from the region’s landfill,” said Joe Lombardi, SWACO’s Executive Director.
Currently, 76% of all landfilled items in Franklin County have the potential to be diverted.
With only 42 years of life remaining for the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill and a steadily growing regional population, the city and SWACO share the goal to increase the diversion of materials from the landfill.
“Columbus is pleased to provide residents with no-cost options to sustainably dispose of, reuse and recycle many items,” said Tim Swauger, Administrator of the Division of Refuse Collection. “The new centers support the city’s Climate Action Plan goals to reduce waste and divert it from the landfill. This offers residents another sustainability service, in addition to the city expanding residential recycling to weekly collection this year and to opening three food waste drop-off sites for composting.”
Residents will be able to drive up to the convenience centers and quickly unload their recyclable and other materials from their vehicle and place it in designated bins or areas depending on the item(s). The centers will be staffed to assist residents with dropping off acceptable items and proper sorting.
The Centers are located at:
2566 Jackson Pike
Columbus, OH
2070 Alum Creek Dr.
Columbus, OH
“By fostering a sense of shared responsibility, we can unite our community in a common purpose of environmental care,” said Lombardi.
The Jackson Pike facility operated by SWACO will be operational Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fees may be charged for some of the materials accepted at this facility. Please visit SWACO.org/ConvenienceCenter for more information.
The Columbus Waste and Reuse Convenience Center on Alum Creek Drive will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All items accepted at this location will be accepted for free. For a list of items acceptable for drop-off at this location please visit: columbus.gov. The city intends to open a second convenience center location soon.