Whether you’re practicing Plastic Free July, taking part in the Zero-Waste Challenge with the Columbus Zoo, or participating in SWACO’s own Choose To Reuse campaign, we’re here for it. Below are some other outstanding ways to stay informed or get involved with sustainability this summer.
Get WasteED-ucated
WasteED is SWACO’s monthly waste and recycling education podcast hosted by Executive Director Joe Lombardi and Communications Director Hanna Greer-Brown. Guests offer insights into regional efforts that are helping to push sustainability forward as well as sharing their perspectives on the next big GREEN thing for central Ohio. Between a few laughs and the genuine and substantive conversation, each episode features takeaways about proper disposal that will have listeners recycling right in no time.
Check out the latest episode, The Wild Side of Sustainability: Inside the Columbus Zoo’s Green Initiatives. We step behind the scenes at the world-famous Columbus Zoo and Aquarium with CEO Tom Schmid to learn all about how their sustainability practices go far beyond animal care.
Click here to listen.
Tour The Landfill
Did you know that SWACO offers tours of the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill? Learn how it protects the environment, how it’s regulated, and the work that goes into managing the millions of pounds of waste that our community generates each year.
Tours for the general public are free and provided several times each year. They last about 90 minutes and include a presentation at SWACO’s Education Resource Center and a driving tour of the landfill itself. The next public tour is August 2nd.
Tours for school groups are also free, and SWACO can even reimburse Franklin County schools for up to $220 for transportation expenses. School tours are about 60 minutes with an in-classroom presentation at the Education Resource Center and an in-vehicle tour of the landfill.
To learn more or register for an upcoming tour, click here.
You Can Recycle End-of-Life Clothing This Summer
SWACO recently launched a unique new pilot program to help recycle end-of-life clothing and learn about what it would take to build a long-term clothing recycling program for central Ohio. Several municipalities and select Goodwill locations will accept end-of-life clothing now through the end of August for recycling so that it doesn’t end up being landfilled or incinerated as part of the global second-hand textile market.
End-of-life clothing is anything that is so stained, ripped, worn, or torn that it doesn’t meet donation standards and cannot realistically be sold or worn again. You can drop off items like that at several sites and pop-up events this summer around central Ohio, and they will be recycled domestically into various insulation products such as punching bags, bedding, home furnishings, and more. Click below to learn more and find a drop-off site near you.
Click here to learn more.
