Communities, schools, and businesses all over central Ohio are committed to using resources responsibly and to diverting waste from the landfill, and ahead of this coming America Recycles Day, SWACO is proud to recognize some local sustainability superstars that have been Caught Blue-Handed.
Worthington Enterprises
Earlier this year, SWACO revamped its Business Recycling Champion program to make it easier than ever for businesses to participate, and to include a new Food Waste Champion component as well. Worthington Enterprises, with 6,000 employees worldwide, jumped at the opportunity and became the first dual Recycling and Food Waste Champion business. The company’s central Ohio headquarters supercharged its recycling and compost program, with all new containers, signage, technical assistance, and training, and is now diverting more than ever from the landfill.
Community Food Waste Drop-Off Sites
All told, there are more than 30 food waste drop off sites around Franklin County, and a new one just opened up to serve the Ohio State University campus area in September. Hosted by Indianola Presbyterian Church on Waldeck Avenue in partnership with SWACO and the University District Organization, the new site accepts all sorts of compostable material, including fruits and veggies, meat, dairy, napkins, and BPI certified compostable containers. It’s a great new resource for campus area residents to cut food waste, and a nice compliment to the ongoing sustainability efforts at OSU.
Also opening a new food waste drop-off location will be the City of Reynoldsburg. This will be the first within Reynoldsburg city limits, and the city will mark its opening by participating in SWACO’s Save More Than Food Community Campaign, a partnership in which residents will receive information in the mail about cutting food waste and how to use the new drop-off site. The city will follow up with social media, newsletter articles, and other information to help residents get started on a composting journey to cut waste and keep organic material out of the landfill.
Mettler Toledo
Mettler Toledo is not only a new Business Recycling Champion but also pioneered the program in a multi-tenant building where the facility’s other businesses weren’t participating. Green Scope Consulting provided waste auditing using an innovative colored bag system in order to be able to discern Mettler Toledo’s waste in the building’s shared dumpster, and clear, cobranded signage and new bins have made it a snap for the building’s facilities team to support the initiative on Mettler Toledo’s floors.
Village of Lockbourne
The Village of Lockbourne in southeastern Franklin County was a 2025 recipient of a Community Waste Reduction Grant from SWACO and has put the funding to great use for its residents, supporting a community recycling effort at its historic village hall and event center, at several parks in the village, and at the community’s popular frisbee golf course.
Worthington Estates Elementary School
The teachers, staff, and students at Worthington Estates Elementary School have been hard at work in recent years implementing a zero-waste lunchtime routine in which students are able to separately dispose of liquids, recyclables, compost, and trash. Ninety 3rd-through-5th grade volunteers help their classmates to properly sort the waste, and this school of 535 students, which used to fill up to eight trash cans per day, now only fills one can with trash. Meanwhile, the students are learning valuable lessons about sustainability, conservation, and the science of composting and recycling. In all, the school’s program has diverted more than 2,000 60-gallon trash backs from the landfill.
