Letter from Executive Director, Joe Lombardi
Small Businesses are Prioritizing Sustainability
In April, when most of us were busy planting trees and picking up litter for Earth Month, the Columbus Dispatch was busy reporting on things to come. What do I mean by that? In mid-April, a few weeks ahead of May’s Small Business Month, the Dispatch reported that Ohio has been rated the No. 1 best place in the United States to start a small business. What good news!
As I read the article, I couldn’t help but reflect on the ways SWACO is helping central Ohio’s small, emerging, and minority-owned businesses. So, I set out to get to know a few of those businesses that my team is currently helping to implement waste reduction, recycling, and composting and in the spirit of Small Business Month, I wanted to share a few of their efforts with you too.
Ajumama
First up was a visit to ECDI’s Food Fort where I met with Laura Lee, owner of Ajumama, a food truck serving up Korean and Southern-inspired dishes. Ajumama is part of a collective of food and beverage businesses using the Food Fort to start and grow their operations who approached ECDI last year with a desire to start a composting program.
Shortly thereafter, ECDI applied for and received a waste reduction grant from SWACO and is in the process of piloting a one-year composting program through which Ajumama and nearly 50 other local small businesses are able to recycle their back-of-the-house kitchen scraps into compost.
Mukha Spa
Later, I also had the opportunity to visit Mukha Spa in Columbus’ Short North neighborhood where I met with owner, Sanito Mendoza. Sanito and Mukha Spa have the special recognition of being the first business to complete SWACO’s Business Recycling Champions. One website I looked at recently estimated that 110,000 pounds of metal are thrown away every day by salons in North America. Mukha’s new and improved recycling program will help to keep even more of central Ohio’s valuable metals out of the landfill and moving through a circular economy.
In fact, when these materials are recycled, they go to recycling-reliant businesses in Ohio, like Cleveland-Cliffs facility in Middletown, where steel cans are turned into new parts for the North American auto industry.
Kittie’s Cakes
Last, but certainly not least, is Kittie’s Cakes. Kittie’s has three bakery locations in central Ohio which all donate their prepared yet unsold food to Columbus Food Rescue who redistributes it to soup kitchens and shelters. What Kittie’s can’t donate is picked up by GoZero and turned into nutrient rich compost. But that’s not all, Kitties also uses low waste service items like compostable cold and hot cups, straws, and containers.
Each of these small businesses is making a difference in our communities. So, as Small Business Month ends, let’s keep our support for all of central Ohio’s small businesses and Ohio’s circular economy going strong. Join me in shopping local, supporting businesses which prioritize sustainability and recycling so that Ohio’s recycling-reliant businesses have access to the materials they need.
