Planting Seeds Of Sustainability: Oakland Nursery Receives SWACO’s First Business Equipment Grant
Oakland Nursery’s Dublin location is the recipient of SWACO’s first Business Equipment Grant (BEG), funding the purchase of a corrugated cardboard baler that will help the nursery significantly reduce the amount of material it sends to the landfill.
With the new baler, Oakland Nursery will be able to process its own corrugated cardboard on-site, reducing the amount of material sent to the landfill by an estimated one-third. The baled cardboard can then be sold to a local processor, where it will be recycled into new products.
The investment is expected to provide both environmental and financial benefits. By reducing the volume of waste requiring disposal, Oakland Nursery can lower its waste hauling and disposal costs while also generating a small amount of revenue from the sale of its baled corrugated cardboard.
SWACO’s new Business Equipment Grant program is designed to help businesses in Franklin County make meaningful investments in waste reduction and recycling infrastructure. Eligible projects can include the purchase of equipment such as balers, compactors, shredders and other technologies that help businesses divert more material from the landfill.
Businesses interested in applying for a BEG must first meet with a SWACO representative to discuss their proposed project. Following that introductory meeting, applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants can request up to $75,000 in grant funding and are required to provide a 50% cash match.
Oakland Nursery’s investment demonstrates how the right equipment can turn everyday business waste into a valuable resource — creating environmental benefits while helping businesses reduce costs and strengthen their recycling efforts.
Have questions or ready to get started? Email [email protected] to start or click HERE for more information about grants at SWACO.
Start a Recycling or Composting Program at No Cost to You!
Want to start a program at work but don’t know where to start? SWACO can help!
SWACO’s Champions program helps Franklin County businesses launch recycling and composting programs by covering the cost of collection containers, signage, and up to 6 months of hauling costs.
Check out the complete list of benefits available to our Champions:
- Hauling reimbursement for the first six months of recycling or composting services (new programs only; no reimbursement for trash hauling)
- FREE on-site waste assessment by a SWACO professional
- FREE recycling and compost collection containers which utilize industry best practice design standards to keep waste streams clean
- FREE signage for recycling, composting and trash collection
- FREE customized education and training for team members
- Recognition as part of our virtual Business Directory and opportunities to be seen by hundreds of thousands of SWACO.org visitors each year.
- Presentation of a certificate, window decal, and potential for inclusion on SWACO’s social media channels and email communications distributed quarterly to more than 10,000 subscribers
Click below to get started! Already have a recycling or composting program? You may still be eligible to become a SWACO Business Champion and receive free containers, signage, educational materials, and recognition opportunities!
Got Unwanted Materials?
Have materials you don’t know what to do with and don’t want to send them to the landfill?
If your business has unwanted/used items, hard to recycle materials, or even byproducts from your processes and manufacturing, SWACO’s Business Team offers free technical assistance to help you keep them out of the landfill. Whether it’s film wrap, Styrofoam, pallets, office furniture, or even unique byproducts, we can help you find recycling, reuse, or diversion options.
From a pallet of off-spec plastic buckets to a truckload of bananas, our team will work with you to identify responsible outlets and connect you with partners who can give your materials a second life!
Email [email protected] or call 614-782-9447 for assistance!
Turning Waste Into Company Culture
Your office might have recycling bins, but how can your organization turn sustainability into culture and better health outcomes? In the latest episode of the WastED podcast, we dig into that very effort with Michael Ferrara of ANS and Terri Scannell of Ohio Health. Michael shares how a simple audit in their Columbus office uncovered a broken system, and how SWACO’s Business Recycling Champions Program helped them create the hauling, building, and stakeholder coordination it takes for a recycling program to truly work.
Then the conversation shifts to healthcare sustainability with Terri where environmental stewardship is inseparable from patient care. We walk through OhioHealth’s focus areas: less waste, responsible procurement, healthy buildings, green transportation, and smart energy and how SWACO is supporting those endeavors through its grant programs.
We also go deeper on the subject of hospital waste management, including a bold goal of zero food waste to the landfill. Terri explains how a food digester works, how it reduces methane from landfills, and improves workplace safety by eliminating heavy lifting. We close with two surprising areas where hospitals can cut impact fast: reducing wasted nitrous oxide (a high global-warming-potential anesthetic gas) and upcycling blue wrap to keep single-use plastics out of landfills too.
Check it out HERE or find it today wherever you get your podcasts.
