Central Ohio residents are passionate about sustainability, and communities, schools, and businesses throughout our Franklin County are using resources responsibly and diverting waste from the landfill through recycling. Every year during America Recycles Month, SWACO is proud to celebrate some local sustainability super stars that have been Caught Blue-Handed.
Budd Dairy Food Hall was recognized as one of SWACO’s first Business Recycling Champions in 2024 and, since then, the facility’s 10 restaurants and two bars have continued to not only recycle cardboard but also to compost their food scraps and offer composting to patrons as well. In all, Budd Dairy has diverted more than 71,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill.
Another business that’s leading the way in sustainability is Turner Construction, which recently revamped and expanded its recycling program and then became one of SWACO’s first Food Waste Champion workplaces. The team at Turner has donated more than 44,000 pounds of food to local charities just since the beginning of the year.
Our communities are also working hard to cut waste and save resources for their residents by recycling. This year, the City of Hilliard conducted door-to-door recycling education and participated in a SWACO Recycle Right campaign in which recycling education was mailed out directly to every resident in the city. Starting next year, Hilliard residents will even be able to sign up for a curbside composting program.
Another community that’s showing how it values recycling is the off-campus neighborhood east of Hight Street in the university district. The nonprofit University Area District Organization (UDO) is once again administering the Can Fairy program, this year with grant support from SWACO. Many of the homes in this area don’t have access to regular curbside recycling but under this program, they can sign up to receive a special recycling cart and weekly pickup. The UDO provides recycling education, monitors compliance, and even offers prizes for homes that do an especially great job of recycling.
Our community’s schools are also getting into the sustainability business. Staff at Beatty Park Elementary are guiding students to become sustainability leaders by improving their recycling program. With ten sets of new containers, signage, and education provided by SWACO, teacher, Devon Johnson, and custodian, Jamarious Daniel- Sawyer, are helping students learn new routines and take on important responsibilities so that the next generation can recycle right.
Teacher, Ashley Dulin-Smith and seven students at Dublin Jerome High School also tackled a new project this year to implement a new recycling program that began when the students noticed that there more than 30 trash cans at the school’s football stadium but no recycling receptacles. They got a grant that allowed them to purchase recycling bins and worked with partners like SWACO to implement the solution while developing leadership skills for the real world.
A recipient of a Special Project Grant from SWACO, the Hollywood Casino is another sustainability superstar organization that’s been caught blue-handed this year. The facility is installing a recycling compactor During America Recycles Month that they expect will help them divert more than 150 tons or waste from the landfill each year. In addition to helping with funding, SWACO will be providing educational materials and staff training to ensure that the project is as effective as it can be.
