SWACO announced today that it is awarding more than $275,000 in grants to 14 local community partners as part of the Community Waste Reduction (CWR) grant program. This annual competitive grant funds innovative projects each year that significantly reduce waste or increase the diversion of waste from the Franklin County Landfill. The recipients are local governments and nonprofits, schools, hospitals, and faith-based organizations, and SWACO prioritizes applications with an emphasis on partnership and collaboration.
The projects funded by this year’s CWR grants prioritize waste reduction and reuse, including by supporting the purchase of a new food waste digester at Doctor’s Hospital, expanded recycling stations in classrooms and common spaces at the Columbus College of Art and Design, and new recycling and landfill receptacles at Groveport and Gahanna city parks and in the Linden neighborhood of Columbus.
“Reducing the amount of waste that SWACO takes in is one of our core missions and will extend the life of the landfill, which is an asset for our whole community,” said SWACO Executive Director, Joe Lombardi. “The Community Waste Reduction grant program provides key funding to kick-start waste reduction efforts all over Franklin County, and we’re excited to see the program continue to grow.”
Successful Community Waste Reduction grant applications emphasize partnership-building and collaboration, and leverage the waste stream for community and economic benefit. They must be within SWACO’s jurisdiction, which is comprised of Franklin County and includes the cities of Canal Winchester, Dublin, New Albany, Reynoldsburg, and Westerville, and the grant recipients are required to provide a 20% cash match and document the project’s impact.
“Bexley residents want to live sustainably and reduce the amount of waste our community sends to the landfill,” said Rhys Gruebel, Vice Chair of Green Bexley. “Unfortunately, the prevalence of single-use disposables in every corner of our lives can make achieving this goal difficult. The Community Waste Reduction Grant program supports our effort to develop an innovative reusable container program, making it easy for consumers and business alike to eliminate waste before it is created. SWACO’s support is crucial for piloting these types or solutions.”
Last year, SWACO awarded more than $250,000 in CWR grants to 12 local governments and nonprofit organizations for initiatives to divert waste material from the landfill, including a new donation incentive program from Goodwill Columbus that rewards residents for donating their unused goods instead of sending them to the landfill. In addition, last year’s grants supported a reusable coffee cup program at a number of local coffee shops, a program to make donated sporting goods available to under-resourced schools and youth groups, and educational programing at two Franklin County middle schools to teach the students about the waste stream.
Next year, the maximum funding amount available through a Community Waste Reduction grant will be $50,000, a more-than 40% increase over previous years, and SWACO will be studying ways that this grant program can best support waste reduction efforts by our county’s faith-based communities. Applications for next year’s CWR grants will be accepted beginning in May of 2026, with an application deadline in August. To learn more about the CWR grant program, including eligibility, deadlines, and video statements from past grantees, visit SWACO.org. A full list of this year’s Community Waste Reduction grant recipients is below.
2026 SWACO Community Waste Reduction Grant Recipients
| Recipient Name | Grant Amount | Short Description of Project |
| Advanced Technology Education Center | $35,000.00 | Supporting the purchase of data destruction equipment and outreach and education activities to immigrant communities, government, and business sectors. |
| America Community Facelift Corp | $10,832.00 | Installing new recycle/landfill stations, compost containers, and community education and engagement at a new outdoor learning space in Linden. |
| Bhutanese Community Of Central Ohio | $7,680.00 | Purchasing outdoor, residential compost containers for up to 80 new American residents, and a composting equipment for a community garden. |
| Boulevard Presbyterian Church | $943.00 | Installing new recycle/landfill stations. |
| Columbus College of Art & Design | $28,000.00 | Supporting the purchase of expanded and improved recycle/landfill stations in classrooms, common spaces including outdoor areas and residence halls. |
| City of Gahanna | $35,000.00 | Purchasing recycle/landfill stations for the new Gahanna Municipal Complex and some park locations. |
| City of Groveport | $35,000.00 | Supporting the expansion of recycle/landfill stations at city parks and buildings. |
| Congregation Agudas Achim | $13,160.00 | Supporting the elimination of single-use disposable plates, cups, and utensils with the purchase of a high-temperature commercial dishwasher in the synagogue’s kosher kitchen, enabling the congregation to transition to reusable serviceware. |
| City of Bexley | $22,720.00 | Funding a pilot project to eliminate single-use plastic takeout containers in dine-in restaurants by introducing a reusable stainless steel “doggie bag” container system. |
| Healthy Worthington Resource Center & Food Pantry, Inc. | $8,994.00 | Purchasing a commercial-grade cardboard baler and covering the cost of adding cardboard-only hauling services. |
| OhioHealth | $35,000.00 | Supporting the purchase of equipment, installation, training, and monitoring for a commercial food waste digester at Doctors Hospital. |
| Otterbein University | $5,543.00 | Improving existing recycle/landfill stations in classrooms by adding lids and signage that align with best practices for landfill diversion. |
| Smart Columbus | $33,578.00 | Expanding the Device Donation Program, which diverts electronic waste from the waste stream and returns refurbished devices to underserved residents and nonprofits. |
| St. Philip Episcopal Church | $5,274.00 | Supports the purchase of new recycle/landfill stations and hauling of single-stream recycling for 1 year. |
