SWACO seeks to make a lasting impact with “Save More Than Food” campaign

In central Ohio, food waste is a complex issue that’s impacting the health of our community, economy, and environment in ways many people don’t realize. That’s why SWACO and more than 150 partners in the Central Ohio Food Was...

New Kids Corner Aims to Make the Start of the School Year Fun

Many studies have shown that children form habits by the time they’re 9 or 10 years old. That means we have a relatively short window of time to ingrain good practices in our kids. While it’s important to teach good manners, healthy ea...

Fifteen Organizations Receive SWACO Grant Funding; Others Invited to Apply

In keeping with its mission to improve Franklin County’s solid waste stream, SWACO has awarded $201,873.31 in competitive grant funding to 15 community projects to implement or improve waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting activities....

SWACO Selects Firm to Plan Large Solar Energy Facility on Site of Former County Landfill

SWACO has entered into an agreement with BQ Energy Development, LLC, to lease the approximately 173-acre property that once served as Franklin County’s sanitary landfill between Jackson Pike and I-71 in Grove City, Ohio. The property will be put...

Bringing Hope from Recent Unrest

Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio ReStore employees will be retrieving much of the plywood Columbus business owners and property managers used to board up windows in the wake of the recent protests in our city. SWACO — the Solid Waste Authority of Ce...

Give Composting a Try! It’s a Fun, Easy Way to Reduce Waste

What is Composting?

Composting is the natural process by which decomposers, such as worms and microorganisms, turn food scraps and other natural material like leaves into nutrient-rich soil without the use of chemicals. It’s like nature&rsquo...

One Stop Guide for Responsible Spring Cleaning

Most people engage in the annual ritual of spring cleaning. They take advantage of the longer, warmer days to air out and deep clean their houses that have been closed up all winter.

With most of us spending more time at home thanks to Ohio’s she...

Make a Pledge This Earth Day to Recycle Your Cardboard Shipping Boxes

It’s been just over four weeks since Gov. DeWine issued Ohio’s first stay-at-home order. In that time, retailers have reported a surge in online shopping. That means people are getting a lot of goods delivered to their homes, and many ...

Make Every Day Earth Day

Finding ways to entertain kids or engage them in educational activities can be difficult at any time. But in the midst of a pandemic when families must isolate themselves at home day after day, the task can be nearly impossible. 

In honor of Earth...

Letter: Recycling is More Important Than Ever During Pandemic

Our state’s response to the pandemic has been swift and has certainly saved many lives. And, our individual response to support local businesses and our neighbors has been a shining example of what it means to be a Buckeye in America’s...

Young Road Construction Project

While SWACO is working hard to divert as much material as possible from the landfill, ensuring safe and accessible disposal at the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill for Franklin County families and businesses is also a priority. To prepare for the constru...

Study: 76% of Franklin County Waste Stream Could Be Diverted From Landfill

SWACO has released a study documenting that up to 76% of the material currently being sent to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill could be recycled or composted. The study also found that of those discarded materials, the items presenting the biggest op...

Executive Director Ty Marsh: As Recycling Rate Climbs, SWACO Studies Will Inform Future Strategies

In November, SWACO released new data that shows central Ohio has now surpassed a 50% diversion rate. This means that residents and businesses are keeping over half of the waste they create out of the landfill by recycling, composting and re-using material...

P&G, Rumpke and SWACO Provide Update on the State of Recycling in Central Ohio

Over the past year, global markets for recyclables have shifted causing a rippling effect that has hindered recycling programs across the country. As a result, many Ohio communities have seen a recent increase in the cost for recycling programs which has ...

Dublin Irish Festival Doubles Its Recycling in Two Short Years

More than 100,000 people attend the Dublin Irish Festival each year. With a $6,000 grant from SWACO, the festival was able to double the amount of recyclable materials it collected this year.

“The City of Dublin strives to be a leader in mitigati...

Partnerships That Are Changing Lives

Every family deserves to live in a furnished home, and the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio works to make that happen. Recently, SWACO’s executive director Ty Marsh met with Furniture Bank President Steve Votaw to discuss how the nonprofit charita...

The Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative Introduces Food Waste Resources for Schools

Last year, we launched the Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative, a group of more than 60 local organizations sharing the same goal: to cut central Ohio food waste in half by 2030. The members of COFWI worked together to develop an action plan, which they re...

Recycle Right Education Campaign Wins Marketing Industry Award

SWACO’s education campaign, “Recycle Right, Make a Difference,” was awarded a MarCom Award for its “Don’t Bag Plastics” video. The MarCom Awards honor excellence in marketing and communications.

W...

Central Ohio Recycling Rate Reaches 50% for the First Time Ever

For the first time ever, central Ohio’s waste diversion rate reaches 50%. That means residents and businesses in the region are keeping half of the waste they generate out of the landfill through recycling and other waste-diversion activities. T...

Executive Director Ty Marsh: SWACO Initiatives Have Significant Impact on Central Ohio

Central Ohioans are recycling more than ever before. In 2017, the latest year for which we have statistics, our region’s residents and businesses diverted 49 percent of all the waste they created from the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill throug...

What's the Future of Recycling in Light of China's Ban on Imported Recyclable Materials?

China has long been one of our country’s leading buyers of recyclable paper and plastic products, taking about 40 percent of these materials nationwide. But China implemented a new policy in January 2018 that more or less prohibits the country from accept...

SWACO Efforts Promote Cleaner Air in Central Ohio

SWACO works hard to safely dispose of the waste created in Central Ohio, but it also works to harness the landfill to create resources and promote cleaner air for our communities. That’s why SWACO partners with Aria Energy to collect the methane...

SWACO's Educational Resources Help Little Ones Learn About Recycling

As families and young learners prepare to head back to the classroom this fall, SWACO is working with local school districts and teachers to provide educational resources for learning at home and in the classroom. The new educational resources, available ...

SWACO and COSI Unveil a Recycle Right, Make a Difference Exhibit for Families

When you visit COSI, don’t forget to check out our new Recycle Right exhibit. Unveiled in April, the exhibit illustrates how recycling benefits our community. The new exhibit consists of four sections. The first section shows how different recyc...

Tips and Tricks to Help Parents Live Green and Save Green as Kids Go Back to School

In the coming days, students across Franklin County will be heading back into classrooms. Do your back-to-school plans include reusing items and reducing the amount of waste your family generates? If not, consider these tips to help reduce the amount of m...

More Franklin County Events Pursue Greener Status

SWACO today announced the recipients of its 2019 Event Waste Reduction Grant. This grant helps fund public outreach and education efforts around waste reduction and diversion and as well as specific activities that increase reuse, recycling and composting...

New Recycling Education Website - RecycleRight.org - is Up and Running

In 2018, SWACO launched “Recycle Right, Make a Difference,” an educational campaign designed to increase recycling and reduce recycling contamination. SWACO created the campaign following a survey that showed residents were excited about recycling but con...

SWACO's Waste Diversion Efforts Yield Positive Results for Central Ohio

Central Ohio’s efforts to divert waste from the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill are paying off in more ways than one.

According to SWACO’s 2018 Community Impact Report, which was released today, Central Ohio’s recycling rate...

SWACO Releases Plan to Cut Food Waste in Half by 2030

Following nearly a year of community engagement and planning, Central Ohio now has a multi-faceted action plan to address food waste and leverage it for the region’s benefit. The Food Waste Action Plan (“Plan”) is the result ...

SWACO and COSI Launch New Recycling Exhibit for Families

https://youtu.be/zdJjncZD0d8

SWACO and Local Communities Roll Out New Recycling Carts to 38,000 Households in Franklin County

Today, officials from Blendon Township and the cities of Westerville, Gahanna, Bexley and Reynoldsburg kicked off a new effort to deliver larger, more efficient recycling carts to more than 38,000 Franklin County homes. 

These five communities are...

SWACO and The Recycling Partnership Team Up to Make Recycling Carts Available in More Neighborhoods

SWACO is launching a new program to help any Franklin County community that doesn’t currently own curbside recycling carts to purchase them for only $22.50 per cart – a 50% reduction in price.

These wheeled recycling carts provide many advantages over recy...

Executive Director's Update: Looking Back, Moving Forward

Looking back at 2018, it’s clear that SWACO and Franklin County had some significant achievements.

First, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency granted us a “Permit to Install,” which will help to ensure that Franklin Count...

SWACO Expands Waste Capacity with New Landfill Cell

SWACO has constructed a new landfill cell, which will help to ensure there is landfill space available for Franklin County residents and businesses well into the future. The new cell was finished in December 2018 at a cost of $9.7 million.

Today’...

Local Organizations Benefit from SWACO's Community Waste Reduction Grants

SWACO has awarded just over $178,000 in “Community Waste Reduction Grants” to fourteen organizations in Franklin County to implement waste reduction programs. Here’s a list of the organizations and a brief description of thei...

SWACO Funds Community Projects to Reduce Waste, and Reuse, Recycle and Compost Materials

In keeping with SWACO’s mission to improve the solid waste stream through effective reduction, recycling and safe disposal, SWACO has awarded $178,091.74 in competitive grant funding to fourteen community projects. The 2019 Community Waste Reduc...

Recycle Right: Plastic Recycling

Plastic materials are in our every day lives, but many of these items have different rules on whether or not that they can be recycled. 10TV spoke with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) about how to properly recycle plastics in Franklin Co...

Reduce Your Plastic Use with These Easy Swaps

Plastic accounts for 17% of all the material that is thrown into the landfill each year by Franklin County residents and businesses*. What were yesterday’s benefits of plastic are quickly becoming a topic for greater discussion today. Plastic is...

Transfer Station Changes Enhance Safety

In early November, SWACO notified waste hauling partners that effective immediately no small trucks, trailers, or box trucks will be able to utilize the Morse Road Eco-Station or Jackson Pike Transfer Stations for the drop-off of waste materials. Only reg...

America Recycles Day

FRANKLIN COUNTY REACHES NEW RECORD HIGH RATE OF RECYCLING Donatos and SWACO team up to celebrate and increase recycling right

November 15 -- Today is America Recycles Day, and Franklin County residents have a lot to celebrate. SWACO is pleased to report th...

Executive Director Ty Marsh: SWACO Activities Help to Educate Residents About Recycling

ThisWeek Column Increases SWACO’s Visibility in Central Ohio 

If you receive a ThisWeek Community News newspaper at your house, then you may have seen SWACO’s new monthly column, From Waste to Resources. In cooperation with Thi...

Videos Highlight Recipients of SWACO's Community Waste Reduction Grants

In 2016, SWACO launched the Community Waste Reduction (CWR) Grant Program, which supports the waste reduction and materials diversion efforts of local organizations by providing financial support to offset the costs of innovative programs. We want to show...

Recycling Drop-Off Program: Improved Enforcement Aims to Curtail Littering and Illegal Dumping

SWACO is stepping up efforts to prevent illegal dumping and littering at more than 55 drop-off recycling locations around Franklin County. The actions were announced after persistent illegal dumping at participating locations, resulting in increased progr...

Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative Shares Waste Reduction Tips for the Fall

Each year, Americans throw away about $165 billion worth of food, equaling about $2,000 per household. The amount of food people waste is a concern in central Ohio, just as it is across the country. Locally, nearly 13 percent of all waste that goes into t...

Recycle Right Campaign Expands to Norwich Township, Portions of Columbus

In October, SWACO partnered with the city of Columbus and Norwich Township to expand the “Recycle Right” program into those communities. Information and materials were mailed to all Norwich Township residents and 5,000 Columbus residen...

SWACO Launches Initiative to Reduce Food Waste

In 2017, food waste comprised about 12.8 percent, or 143,616 tons, of the material landfilled by Franklin County businesses and residents. That same year, an estimated 10,288 tons of food waste was diverted from the landfill, resulting in a food waste div...

Study Reveals Economic Impact of Local Recycling Industry

We’ve always known that recycling was good for the environment. Now, SWACO is documenting that it’s an economic driver and jobs-producer, as well. SWACO hired DSM Environmental Services to conduct a study to determine the actual size o...

Executive Director Ty Marsh: SWACO Successfully Tackles Three Major Initiatives

Over the past couple of years, SWACO has been involved in three significant initiatives to further our mission of improving the waste stream through effective reduction, recycling and disposal. I’m happy to report that we have concluded these un...

New Children's Garden Opens with SWACO-Funded Composting Sign

The new Children’s Garden at the Franklin Park Conservatory opened May 19. Among the garden’s many attractions is a small exhibit featuring a 36-inch-high worm and a SWACO-funded sign that explains the economic and environment benefits of composting and t...

"Recycle Right" Pilot Campaign Succeeds at Educating Residents

SWACO launched an educational campaign earlier this year aimed at teaching people the proper way to recycle. The campaign, called “Recycle Right,” was introduced as a pilot program in Grove City, Urbancrest and Jackson Township. Follow...

Turn Your Yard Waste into Compost

Did you know that yard waste is not permitted in the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill? That’s why most communities in Franklin County offer a yard waste pickup program. Communities in Franklin County divert nearly 200,000 tons of yard waste eac...

SWACO Grant Program Supports Community Projects

SWACO is seeking applicants for its Community Waste Reduction (CWR) Grant Program, which funds innovative waste reduction and diversion projects. This competitive program is open to nonprofit organizations, governmental entities and public schools, univer...

Manage Yard Waste the Right Way

As the yard care season gets into full swing, SWACO is reminding residents that properly disposing of yard waste can save money and make a difference for our environment.Residents with yards and gardens generate yard waste, such as leaves, grass clippings...

Poll Shows Positive Views on Recycling in Central Ohio

A public opinion poll conducted by the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) and EMC Research determined that the majority of Franklin County residents recycle because it’s the right thing to do and is good for the environment. The surve...

2018 Community Grant Recipients Announced

In keeping with SWACO’s mission to improve the solid waste stream through effective reduction, recycling and safe disposal, SWACO has awarded $133,588.70 in competitive grant funding to eleven community projects. The 2018 Community Waste Reducti...

2017 Fall Diversion Events a Success

Collection and recycling events for unwanted medications and used political signage are becoming increasingly popular.

SWACO has partnered with law enforcement, the City of Columbus, Franklin County and businesses such as Kroger and Cardinal Health to make...

New Management Team Members Join SWACO

Director of Administration Jeff Wilkins, Fleet Manager Bill Burns and Programs Manager Andrew Booker join SWACO’s management team. 

Jeff Wilkins

Director of Administration

Jeff Wilkins joined SWACO recently as the new director of administr...

New SWACO Education Campaign - Recycle Right Begins

New SWACO Education Campaign – Recycle Right Begins

Last year, 2.1 million tons of waste was generated by residents and businesses in Franklin County - enough to fill Ohio Stadium four times, and equating to about five pounds of waste a day, per ...

Composting Leaves and Yard Waste is Easy To Do

It's fall and the leaves are dropping on yards across Franklin County. Did you know that leaves are considered yard waste as are brush, grass clippings, branches, and shrubbery? Yard waste is not accepted at the landfill but composting yard waste is easy ...