SWACO is proud to celebrate Waste and Recycling Workers Week, an annual celebration lasting from June 15th to 20th that honors workers in the waste industry nationwide. These workers provide an invaluable service, keeping our streets clean, our homes healthy and our communities sustainable. SWACO’s waste and recycling workers serve 41 communities and over 1,300,000 residents.
Every day, hundreds of waste and recycling professionals help keep central Ohio clean, safe and sustainable. Approximately 900 haulers visit the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill each day, while hundreds more deliver materials to SWACO’s transfer stations. Recycling workers also play a critical role in managing the region’s waste stream. At SWACO, recycling drivers collect and transport approximately 350 tons of material each month from community recycling drop-off locations, helping ensure valuable resources are recovered and returned to productive use.
Day to day contributions to our communities by these workers are incredibly valuable, and Waste and Recycling Workers Week provides a much-needed opportunity to give these workers proper recognition. Additionally, awareness about the risks faced by these workers and encouraging proper safety protocols in the workplace is important and can even save lives. Residents can help keep workers safe by practicing proper waste disposal, such as bringing hazardous materials to designated household hazardous waste (HHW) drop-offs.
In honor of Waste and Recycling Workers Week, SWACO will be greeting haulers at the landfill and transfer station. Staff will be handing out bottled water, snacks and a review of safety policies for that collection location. Haulers will also be given a safety pamphlet issued by SWANA, the Solid Waste Authority of North America.
“Safety is more than a policy; it’s a commitment we make to ourselves, our co-workers and our families,” said Gary McDaniel, SWACO’s safety manager. “This pamphlet helps reinforce that commitment by providing important safety reminders and encouraging every hauler to take the SWANA Safety Pledge, ensuring that everyone returns home safely at the end of the day.”
